Lady Grey
by Machi
Summary: Kyouya-centric. Kyouya's always been there for Tamaki, and will always be. He's content to be a true Shadow King, forever watching from the sidelines. However, Kyouya gains a new perspective on their relationship when he suddenly wakes up as a woman.
1. The Shadow King

**Notes**: I do not own Host Club or affiliated characters. This fanfiction is Kyouya-centric, with a focus on introspection of Tamaki and Haruhi. If you do not like slash implications or slash in general, then do not read. Even so... if you don't, I think you could learn just a little from this.

* * *

_Lady Grey_

Chapter One: The Shadow King

* * *

Third time is the charm.

And Kyouya was the third son of the Ootori Family.

Perhaps it was this saying, this old age chant, this... _curse._.. that would be the cause of the events the young man would find himself in.

Currently, said Kyouya Ootori, Vice President of the Ouran High School Host Club, resident _Mommy, _and best friend of Tamaki Suoh was having a day like every other. Within the lavish walls of Music Room 3, the Host Club was at its peak for the day. Faint orchestra music sang in the background, the sound just a touch below the quaint chatter of the hosts and their guests. The scent of Earl Grey tea hung in the air.

The sound of Kyouya's fountain pen making its way across the pages of his leather notebook was the only sound that was important to the dark-haired teenager. He stood off to the side, making note of a few happenings around the room, jotting down notes, scribbling down ideas... Haruhi was looking as stellar as ever with her whole "natural" act (which wasn't an act). The Hitachiin Brothers looked as animated as ever.

Kyouya's ash-brown eyes slid over to the side, to a beautiful pink, Victorian-style couch that sat in the center of the room. There, sat the Host Club President and Prince, Tamaki Suoh. His blond hair was especially radiant today, casting a shimmer and sparkle as he shook his head off to one side in efforts to play the bangs out of his blue eyes. The girls before him swooned, as if on cue.

Tamaki happened to glance up to check up on the rest of his dutiful hosts—when he caught Kyouya's gaze, he smiled.

"Hm." And Kyouya gave a faint smile back, before they both looked away to carry on with their business.

And that was how things were, and always would be.

Kyouya knew better than to tempt fate. He knew by now, clearly, where Tamaki's feelings were placed in this wide spectrum of a world. His best friend of years had put his emotions and heart on the line for the elusive Haruhi Fujioka, their currently in-debt "commoner", or so they put it at times. And it was true, certainly. He had already played his part. A partnership between the Ootori family and the Suoh Family had been sealed, indefinitely.

...Beyond that... what could be gained...?

The proclaimed "Shadow King" continued jotting down his notes from where he stood quietly, off to the side. He wasn't taking customers today, he had far too much work to do than to waste time idly entertaining frivolous-minded girls.

"Kyouya?" And Tamaki's bell of a voice called out to his best friend. Kyouya looked up immediately from his perfect handwriting and to the blond. Tamaki was looking attentive as usual. "One of our guests has a penchant for Lady Grey. Would you mind getting some for us, please?"

"Not at all." Kyouya snapped the leather notebook closed. His answer warranted a smile from his best friend...and that made everything worth it. "I'll return shortly. Surely you can't manage to cause too much chaos while I'm gone."

...Perhaps if he hadn't said those words, the following would not have happened.

Kyouya exited the main section of the music room, to a large storage closet to the side. It shouldn't of taken him long to locate the tea they needed. It was shipped in fresh every week, as they did go through a rather substantial amount of it, however...

"...Lady Grey." His finger barely tapped the counter top with the label. But there was no box. Kyouya's brows furrowed. "That isn't right." He remember it clearly; a shipment of Lady Grey came in three days ago. He always remembered the number three when it was apparent.

He was after all, the third son.

Kyouya's eyes glanced a few boxes down. There was plenty of Earl Grey left, but as Lady Grey had a more flowery taste to it... hm... was there something that he could supplement it with? The young man tapped his foot, once, twice, three times in thought. No. Tamaki had asked him to bring back Lady Grey. Kyouya wasn't going to let him down, if he could help it.

"The dining hall usually carries Lady Grey." That would do it. He could head down to the dining establishment and take some from them. This was, in theory, Tamaki's school after all. What was borrowing just enough for a couple of pots? He would further look into where the Lady Grey could have been misplaced at. Perhaps it was even in the dining hall by mistake. He could kill two birds with one stone by looking, after all. Kyouya exited the storeroom; he could feel Tamaki's expectant gaze on him, but instead of heading to the blond, he was heading for the exit.

"I'll have to procure some from the dining hall," Kyouya stated, and Tamaki let out a faint sigh.

"All right. Don't take _too_ long, Kyouya!" The Host Club Prince chimed after him in a teasing tone. Kyouya paused, glancing back to his friend as he opened the door. The black-haired boy smiled before slipping out of Music Room 3.

And the walk began.

It didn't take long for Kyouya to make it to the dining hall. After slipping into the back, the Host Club Vice-President was quick to locate where they were storing the tea. Well. He had to obtain a small step ladder, but after scaling the three small steps and grasping hold of the box he needed, he exited the dining hall, back through the halls of Ouran Academy.

The evening sun make the step glow with a pink light that cast over him. As he got higher up the steps, his eyes lowered in efforts to block out the sun. The floral scent of Lady Grey rose into his nostrils. His steps were even as he made his way up the stairs. But today, for some reason, the sensory elements of his trip seemed to put Kyouya in a daze.

He missed a step.

There was no noise that left him—only dread filled his stomach and the rest of Kyouya's body as the heavy box pushed his weight back. He could feel his feet were no longer on the ground. And he was tilting, tilting...

A sickening series of noises echoed in the hallway. The sound of a human body tumbling down a flight of marble stairs made a unique sound all its own. Kyouya's glasses scattered off to the side of the stairs, hitting the bannister; their metallic noise was lost over the sound of the box and Kyouya's body tumbling south.

When he finally opened his eyes, everything was blurry. A whole crowd of people surrounded him. There were screams. People were shouting. He could see Mori's tall figure amongst a flood of yellow scent of blood cut deeply into his senses. Another scent lingered just over it, but he couldn't quite place it.

Loud shouting drew his attention. He felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders. When his ash-brown eyes looked up, hazy, a pair of royal blue were staring down at him, stricken with grief. Tears welled up in them, creating glass orbs. It was Tamaki.

His Prince was calling him.

"Kyouya!" Tamaki's voice seemed distant, even though he was right there. For some reason, Kyouya couldn't find the strength to call back to him. "Kyouya, hang on!"

There was an angry red smear of blood on Tamaki's cheek.

And suddenly, the Shadow King knew he was becoming just that. He was dying.

The edges of his vision started boiling into black. His body relaxed. Tamaki seemed to realize just what was going on, because the look on his face became more intense, overflowing with despair. Words poured out of Tamaki's mouth, but they were all a jumbled mess that Kyouya could no longer decipher. He felt Tamaki's hands move to one of his, clinging to it desperately like a lifeline.

Tamaki's blond hair looked something like a halo. Kyouya's eyes managed to focus on it for a bit, and Tamaki's voice warbled. Tears dripped onto his cheeks.

His eyes started to close.

"Kyouya!" And his name vibrated in the growing darkness. The halo's light was hardly visible. And Tamaki said the words that Kyouya never though he would hear.

"_Please! Don't go!"_

Kyouya felt a small smile quirk onto his lips.

...But he was already gone.

The heavy scent of Lady Grey invaded his senses before Kyouya blacked out completely.

* * *

_Lady Grey._

* * *

The ceiling light was on.

Kyouya's eyes squinted as light flooded into his eyes. A burning, tingling sensation ticked underneath his eyelids, into the middle of his eyes. It was morning. He could hear the birds chirping from outside of his window. His window.

Kyouya turned his head slowly.

...He was... home.

Beside him, his alarm went off. 6:45. Kyouya reached out a hand to tap the clock—but when he did, he noticed two different things. First, the alarm clock was a shimmering silver, instead of black, with bright blue numbers. There was a sticker of a cute black cat on the corner of it. And second of all-

...He was sporting a french manicure.

Kyouya stared at his hand. _Really_ stared at it. It wasn't just the fingernails, beautiful and well-groomed, that had changed. The _hand itself_ was more slender than he was used to.

The alarm kept buzzing. Kyouya glanced to it, before finally hitting the alarm, silencing the noise. He grabbed his glasses, sliding them off the bedside table and putting them on his face. He took a look at his hand again, to make sure he wasn't seeing things. He wasn't.

...Had he hit his head _so hard_ that he was hallucinating? Why wasn't he in the hospital? Or _was_ he in the hospital and all of this was some elaborate illusion? The young man let out a faint huff of air, before slowly sitting up, gaze lingering around his room.

Which was-

A fresh bouquet of Brazilian blue roses sat on the beside table. The edges were a faint blue, the bud slowly lightening to pure white on the inside. Kyouya stared at them for a moment before his eyes lifted upwards from the vase. The walls were all painted a subtle shade of lavender. There was a calender on the wall—it had pastel page breaks and fine black numbering. The picture at the top was an artistic shot of a boudoir, namely a close up of pink kerchiefs, pearls, lipstick tubes, and flowers. Kyouya stared at it for a moment.

...The date.

Two years prior. Two years prior.

"...How can it be two-thousand..." Kyouya pulled the white sheets off of him, sliding his bare legs out of bed—wait.

His eyes shot down to a pair of shapely, milky-white thighs and lacy blue panties. He lifted both hands to his chest—or rather, to his breasts, grasping a hold of them over the matching blue bra.

...Either some insane kind of Host Club antic has really screwed his head over, or...

"...I'm a woman."

The words left his lips as if he had casually glanced over to Tamaki to relay him the weather.

They said third time was the charm.

...But Kyouya Ootori was now the youngest child, and second daughter of the Ootori Family.

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**End Chapter One**

Please Review!


	2. Heir Nevermore

_Lady Grey_

Chapter Two: Heir Nevermore

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The feeling of the brown fabric of the Ouran Middle School girls uniform sliding down Kyouya's torso was an experience of its own... not to mention the shower beforehand. Kyouya pat down the pleated skirt with his slender hands, before tying the bow at his neck with precision. The sound of piano music was playing in the background from his laptop computer that sat on the bed. It was a pure white, sleek model.

A cute black cat sticker was on the corner. Just one.

Kyouya finished straightening himself up, and finally his ash-brown eyes looked up, into the mirror.

His eyes were large and wide. Well, he was only in middle school now so it was only to be expected. His skin was flawless and smooth. He had extraordinary, attractive pink lips, and his once short black hair was down to just a touch past his shoulders and in slight waves. It was similar to his older sister, Fuyumi. And his body...

Kyouya lifted his arms slowly, placing his hands over his chest.

...Was... very _nice. _And soft. So this was what it felt like to be a woman.

Kyouya glanced at the clock. 7:25 am. Breakfast was in five minutes. Even though he had been turned into a female, he wasn't going to just stop abiding by his normal schedule. He also still needed to figure what was going on, exactly. Hadn't he been lying on the ground, waiting for the Grim Reaper to come and take him to whatever lied beyond the grave?

He let out a sigh. Kyouya turned away from the mirror, and headed out of his room to the kitchen.

This was really what he was waiting for, honestly. If he was hallucinating, his father and older brothers would eventually give way to what was going on. Unless they were hallucinations as well. But if Kyouya was still in his own illusions... they were... insanely realistic.

The heels of his shoes clicked along the tile floor as he entered the dining room. His father, Yoshio Ootori, sat at the head of the table. Fuyumi, his sister, wasn't present. Kyouya's two older brothers, Yuuichi (the oldest) and Akito (the second son), were at the table. Yuuichi was reading the paper as he drank his morning coffee. Akito quietly ate his food as he sat beside his brother. As Kyouya moved inside, everyone looked up at him from the table.

"Kyouya," His father spoke, "Good morning. Did you sleep well?"

That alone was enough to make Kyouya pause.

His ash-brown eyes looked to his father. "...Pardon?"

...His voice was different.

"Did you sleep well?"

Yuuichi and Akito looked up form the table as well.

"Good morning, imoto." Yuuichi stated. There was an odd hint of fondness to his voice that Kyouya wasn't used to. The older brother nodded his head to him, and Akito quickly followed suit.

"Good morning, imoto."

...Little sister.

Kyouya looked to all three of them for a moment in silence, before reaching up, touching the side of his head, fingers slipping into his hair to feel his scalp. No. No stitches. No metal plates. Nothing.

Just beautiful black hair.

"...Good morning," Kyouya finally stated, and he moved to the table, skirt swishing. As he made it closer to the table, his brothers rose to their feet. A servant walked to his side, pulling the chair out for him. Kyouya looked at it for a moment, before slowly taking his seat, thanking the servant with his smooth, feminine voice. Once he was seated, his brothers did the same. Kyouya looked them over, looking down at his breakfast.

It was different from his brother's; his breakfast was beautifully decorated and intricate, perfect to please a woman of refined tastes. Kyouta gazed at the tall mock-martini glass that sat before him. The long neck had a silk white ribbon tied to it, and a fresh red rose. Within the glass was a yogurt parfait. The scent of fresh strawberries and bananas filled his senses. Kyouya wasn't partial to sweets, but he had a feeling it was the same in this world too. Or at least he hoped. To the side sat his drink, a small glass of orange juice, as well an an empty bone china tea cup. The tea must not have been ready yet.

Kyouya picked up his spoon, scooping a small amount of the parfait onto it. He took a bite.

Hm. It was a bit sweeter than he would normally accept, but... it was very good. His body seemed to want to eat it up greedily.

Yuuichi lowered his paper a touch to gaze at his young sister with eyes far softer than Kyouya was used to. Kyouya glanced up from his parfait, catching his gaze, and Yuuichi merely offered him the faintest quirk of a smile.

"How is breakfast?"

"...Pleasant." Kyouya responded. Yuuichi seemed satisfied with that answer. Akito glanced up at Kyouya, a smile lifted up at the corner of his lips. The family continued breakfast in silence for a moment, before finally his father, Yoshio Ootori, looked up from his breakfast to stare at his youngest child. Kyouya glanced over to him.

"Kyouya," His father stated.

"Hm?" Kyouya glanced over to his father, whom stared speaking, holding the days newspaper in his hand.

"Today is the day that Suoh's son is going to be transferring into your class, right? We've done business with the Suoh Group for many years now and we have a wonderful relationship with them."

Kyouya felt his heart thud a touch.

...These exact words.

...He'd heard them before.

His father merely continued.

"But competition is still a possibility, so I've been thinking... you befriending young Suoh would be in our family's interest." And Yoshio Ootori closed the paper for a moment. "But whatever you do Kyouya, don't forget-"

And Kyouya finished his sentence.

"_...Always keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."_

Both Yuuichi and Akito looked up from their breakfast. Yoshio's mouth closed after his daughter finished speaking. Kyouya's ash-brown eyes looked away from him, scooping up a small part of his parfait. "Yes, Otosama. I understand." Kyouya was waiting for the rest of the spiel, but it never came.

Instead, he got a completely different response.

"...Thank you, Kyouya. There is no one else I could ask this from. I'm counting on you." And Yoshio opened the paper again, looking back down to it. "If you feel you are being put in an uncomfortable situation with Suoh, let your brothers or I know immediately."

...Huh?

Kyouya merely nodded. "Yes, Otousama." And he looked back down to his parfait. Another scoop, and Kyouya's taste buds were met with a another wealth of granola, vanilla yogurt, and fruit. But his mind was somewhere else.

...He had been taken back to the day that he met Tamaki. And he was a girl—that... was different. And apparently, always a girl, at that. The young Ootori was slowly becoming convinced that, perhaps this wasn't some kind of dream after all. But... going back in time was impossible! In fact, he was practically in another dimension!

It was then one of the maids walked over to him, pausing by his chair. Kyouya glanced over at her. She was holding a teapot delicately in her hands.

Ah, the tea had arrived. Kyouya nodded for her to continue, his attention turned back to his breakfast as the maid pour his drink. But then the smell hit his senses.

Kyouya looked over to his cup quickly. A beautiful stream of brown filted into his cup. A floral scent waft into his nostrils. He blinked once. Twice.

"...Lady Grey."

The maid looked up from pouring and to her young mistress. She smiled to her. "Yes! I hope that's all right. I know you usually take Earl Grey, but we ran out of it yesterday and the next shipment hasn't come in."

The maid pulled the pot away. She put in a small scoop of sugar and a dash of milk. Kyouya watched her in silence, and when the had finished, he picked up the cup and saucer. He lifted the cup to his delicate lips, and, after taking in the flowery scent, took a sip. The tea was smooth as it passed through his lips.

"...This is fine, thank you." Kyouya spoke. The maid nodded, heading out of the dining room.

...Never had he thought such a flowery drink would be palatable to him. But it seemed in this world, everything was just a little different.

...Some more than most.

Kyouya finished his parfait quick enough. He was oddly full after it. Perhaps as a girl he was used to eating less. He set his fork down, dabbing his mouth with his cloth napkin, and folded it properly, setting it to the side. Both his brothers looked up suddenly, attentive. Kyouya almost halted in his tracks as he started to push back his chair, feeling suddenly bewildered with both their gazes on him.

"Imoto," Akito stated, as he rose to his feet before Yuuichi, who merely made a noise as he lowered his paper. Akito moved around the table quickly, and pulled Kyouya's chair out for him. Kyouya felt his skirt flutter a bit as he rose from the chair. He dusted himself off a bit, looking back at his older brother and nodding.

"Ah, thank you... oniisan." Kyouya let out slowly. Akito seemed to beam at the thanks. Kyouya started heading out of the dining hall, when Yuuichi called out to him next.

"Do you need a ride to school, imoto?" The oldest boy asked. Kyouya paused by the exit, glancing back at him. His waved hair ruffled around his shoulders.

"The driver will take me," Kyouya answered back.

"I could get you there faster," Yuuichi stated, rising form his seat. "...I've finished with breakfast anyway, and I need to pick up some documents for Otousama before I head into work. I'll have to pass right by Ouran Academy."

Kyouya's ash-brown eyes studied him for a moment. This morning was just getting... more and more strange.

"All right, then." Perhaps he could learn more about what was going on if he spent time around his family. Yuuichi nodded, walking over to Kyouya. He put a gentle hand on his little sister's shoulder.

"I'll meet you at the front in five, then." Yuuichi moved away from Kyouya, exiting the dining room. Akito followed him, touching Kyouya's shoulder as well with a tenderness Kyouya had never seen before. And soon, the two had disappeared into the house. Kyouya stood still for a moment, but soon, his feet willed themselves to move. He needed to head upstairs to collect his school satchel.

Once Kyouya was in his room, he collected his belongings, tucking his white laptop into his satchel. He stared into it for a moment. This had been when he looked up information about Tamaki before he headed to school. But before, Yuuichi hadn't offered him a ride. In fact, the boy had _never_ offered him a ride to school before.

...What had changed?

_What's he planning? _Kyouya buckled his satchel up, before picking up the dark brown bag. He looked into the mirror at himself, and a bright-eyed, cute schoolgirl stared back. Still a girl. He fingered the edges of the school girl mini-skirt for a bit, before letting the pleats slip out from his delicate fingers. With that, Kyouya headed down the stairs from his sleeping quarters.

When he reached the front, sure enough, Yuuichi was waiting for him. The eldest son opened and held the door open for him, and Kyouya hesitated a bit, before walking out. His car was waiting for them, brought up by their valet. The shiny, black Rolls Royce sat patiently in the rounded driveway. The day was warm and sunny. Spring really was here to stay.

_This is my final semester in middle school... _Kyouya's mind was preoccupied as their valet opened the passenger door for him. He thanked them, sliding inside and into his seat. Once he and Yuuichi were settled in, his brother drove out of the driveway. Kyouya sat beside him in the car, back erect as he folded his hands over his satchel, which sat on his lap. He glazed out the window in silence.

The wordlessness prevailed, until Yuuichi broke the silence.

"Kyouya-chan."

_Kyouya... **chan**? _But Kyouya had no choice but to look over to his brother from behind his glasses.

"...Yes, oniisan?"

"I know its important for your to get close to Suoh-san's son... but... make sure you listen to what Otousama said. If he begins to make you uncomfortable, let us know. It may feel odd coming to Otousama, but in this case, don't be ashamed to come to me for help."

"For... help." ...The hell? "...Oniisan... how could Tama—I mean... Suoh-san's son... possibly make me feel uncomfortable?" He was a damned idiot, for one. There was no way in hell Tamaki could make him uncomfortable... except for how frivolous he could be with the Host Club's funds. Ah. But...

...At this point in time... the Host Club didn't even exist.

"Just make sure you keep your eye on him, is all. Boys can be brutal at this age... ah. But Kyouya-chan... you're smart, aren't you. You've completely exceeded Otousama's expectations of you."

_Completely exceeded._

"I... have?" Kyouya's voice was confused. He had always thought his father wanted so much more from him. Here he was, struggling to live up to his expectations, and... he had already _exceeded them?_

"Of course. Here you are... honor student... you're the head of your class, as well as class representative... and you're just his youngest child...and a young woman, at that."

_Young woman._

Yuuichi smiled. "...So he is especially proud of you. And you are growing to be a beautiful young woman, imoto. You've far outdone Fuyumi because of your achievements; you're our father's shining star."

_Shining star._

Kyouya felt a strange sense of dread building in the pit of his stomach. Still, he couldn't quite place where it was stemming from. He didn't say anything to Yuuichi's comments, merely looked out the window so he could gaze at the approaching Ouran Academy. However, they took a small detour, and that caught him off-guard. Kyouya looked over to his brother slowly, his waves of soft hair rolling over his shoulders.

"...Oniisan. Where are we going?"

"You'll see in a minute," Yuuichi stated, eyes on the road. Kyouya glanced around to see they were approaching a nearby shopping boutique district he was familiar with. "Don't worry. We left a bit early so you won't be late."

Kyouya waited patiently as they pulled up to the boutique. Instantly, the soft pastel colors struck his fancy for some reason. Perhaps it was because the soft shade of blue in the window display reminded him of his Ouran High school uniform. Yuuichi exited the car, leaving it running and instructing him to stay for a moment. He ran into the store. Kyouya glanced up at the name of the boutique. _Peu de Beauté_. He knew enough French from Tamaki's constant exclamations to know what that meant. Little Beauty.

What was his brother doing in a store like this? Was he getting a gift for someone? But who?

...Was he seeing someone behind their father's back? Kyouya was unaware that Yuuichi was interested in anyone... let along potentially _dating someone._ What kind of woman...

And soon, Yuuichi came back with a small, pale lavender bag in hand. It had white handles and a white ribbon on it. The store name was glossed over the front in shimmering silver. Yuuichi set the bag gently onto the satchel on Kyouya's lap, and the youngest Ootori looked down at it in silence.

"Its for you," Yuuichi stated, pulling out of the parking lot. They were headed for Ouran Academy now. "...Open it."

"Are you certain?" It was for him?

"Yes."

Kyouya was silent for a moment, but he eventually looked back down to the bag. He pulled apart the handles, pushing past white tissue paper and to the small box inside. When he opened it, he saw inside two small, pure silver hair clips. The front of one of them had the face of a small, illustrated black cat against a small lavender bow. Kyouya recognized the face from the sticker on the corner of his alarm clock and on his white laptop. The other sported a blue rose crafted daintily of what looked to be resin. A mismatched set of sorts.

Kyouya stared at them, one of his fingers reached out, ghosting over the blue rose. It almost looked real. He remained silent, but Yuuichi spoke for them.

"I remember you had paused to look at them when they had been in the window, when I had picked you up from school a few days ago." And Kyouya looked up to his brother, who was driving right towards the lavish academy. "You've been working hard, haven't you? You were made top of your class again yesterday. You deserve a reward for being so studious."

A reward? What? Since when did his good grades merit a reward? His brothers had been the top of their classes before he did. Since when had it been enough to please anyone?

"_Here you are... honor student... you're the head of your class, as well as class representative... and you're just his youngest child...and a young woman, at that."_

Kyouya's fingers closed around the prim little box. _Now_ he understood. In this... dream, world, dimension, lifetime, _whatever_—he was just a woman. He wasn't _expected_ to make perfect grades. He wasn't _expected_ to work so hard.

...And no matter how hard he tried...

He would _never be the heir_ to the Ootori Group.

It almost felt as if the world dropped out from under his feet.

His Yuuichi pulled up to the driveway of Ouran Academy. Kyouya stared down at the hairclips with his ash-brown eyes, his body bristling with rage. His mouth was pulled into a tight line. Yuuichi looked over to him, and it was his voice that snapped him out of his reverie.

"Kyouya-chan."

Kyouya's head snapped up, the fire suddenly snuffed out of his eyes. He looked over to his brother quickly, and Yuuichi merely smiled, continuing. "...Have a good day, imoto."

The youngest Ootori was silent.

"...Thank you, oniisan." And Kyouya looked to the box. He slipped out the blue rose hairpin, reaching up and, with delicate precision as he looked into the rear view mirror of the Rolls Royce, slipped the hair clip into his silky black hair, right above his right temple. Yuuichi's brown eyes watched this in silence, and Kyouya caught his gaze in the mirror when he was finished. Such a strange look...

Kyouya pulled away from the mirror, turning and facing him. The small, resin blue rose was fitting in his ink black hair. "...Thank you, for the gift. It..." Uh. "...Is most appreciated."

And Yuuichi did something Kyouya never saw before—he smiled, _really smiled, _a hand reaching up and gently touching the side of his face.

"...You're welcome, Kyouya-chan." And Yuuichi smiled, his hand reaching up and patting the top of Kyouya's head. "...I'm glad you liked them."

Kyouya heard the warning bell ring from the car. He perked up, putting the box back into the bag and picking it up, along with his satchel. "Goodbye, oniisan." Kyouya escaped from the car, closing the door hurriedly after him and rushing up the steps. Now he just needed to recall what class he was taking at this time of year during the morning. And he had to hurry.

Kyouya's mind was fully preoccupied, now. He ignored people attempting to greet him as he rushed up the steps, his miniskirt fluttering along his thighs.

Within the next thirty minutes...

...He would once again be face-to-face with the future Ouran Academy Prince... Tamaki Suoh.

* * *

**Please Review,** and please come back for

Chapter Three: And So, Kyouya Met Him!

Thank you for reading!


	3. And So, Kyouya Met Him!

_Lady Grey_

Chapter Three: And So, Kyouya Met Him!

* * *

The morning sun filtered through the halls of Ouran Academy, rippling along the marble floors. It was a day unlike any other; Kyouya wasn't sure if the vice-chairman he walked along the halls with understood. No... she couldn't have.

Like him, she was merely doing her job today. Greeting an important class member was certainly not _normal, _everyone that attended Ouran Academy was important to some degree or another.

Ayame Jonouchi glanced up to Kyouya as they moved down the hall. As they did, their chocolate miniskirts fluttered around their slender legs. A few teachers nodded to them in greeting as they made their way through the hall.

"Ootori-chan," Ayame stated suddenly. Kyouya glanced over to her; Ayame's long, straight brown hair fluttered around behind them. "Who do you think this new person could be? What if its someone important, like the US President's son? Or a prince?"

_Its certainly a prince of sorts, all right. _"Who knows," Kyouya stated as he walked along beside her, though the youngest Ootori knew perfectly well who it was. However, he was having a hard time recalling if he and Ayame had this conversation prior to meeting the blond. If he recalled correctly, the walk down the hall had been long and quiet.

"I hope he's good-looking!" Ayame stated cheerfully, and she reached up, adjusting her bangs perfectly around her face. Kyouya glanced over, watching as Ayame fussed with her hair.

_How frivolous... _Why was she even trying?

Finally, they came to the room they were meeting at; Kyouya reached up, knocking at the door.

"Ah! I wasn't ready!" Ayame exclaimed. She adjusted her skirt a bit; was she _rolling it up at the waist? _...So that was how the girls made their legs look longer, huh. Kyouya watched her adjust for a moment, a contemplative finger coming up to his lips as he thought.

...Did that really work?

The handle of the doors giggled. Ayame finished rolling her skirt, which was now about an inch higher than it previously was. The vice-chairman threw down her shirt, over the rolled potion just as the door opened. Both she and Kyouya looked back up at the same time to see the administrative assistant smile to them, letting both girls in. The two stepped just inside of the doorway.

"Class Chairman Kyouya Ootori, Vice-Chairman Ayame Jonouchi, please come this way." The assistant waved them further inside, and the two moved a touch more in. Kyouya glanced around the room—same room, same everything. It was just as he remembered it. But soon, his brown eyes turned to the front were Ayame was gazing—suddenly, there was a silken tuft of blond hair bowed down towards them, and for a moment...

Kyouya swore he felt his heart skip a beat as the boy in front of them raised his head.

The administrative assistant smiled from behind. "Please allow me to introduce you to our new student, Tamaki Suoh."

And with his usual, shining smile, Tamaki Suoh cast his charming, royal blue gaze over towards the two women standing in front of him. "Its a pleasure to meet you both!"

Kyouya felt his lips instantly twitch in annoyance, a flash of the events following ghosting across his mind. But it was almost confirmed. It was like he had really gone back in time. In another dimension. Or something of the sort. He still couldn't figure out why he was a_ girl_, but perhaps the answer would come to him, eventually.

The admin assistance introduced he and Ayame. "This is class representative Kyouya Ootori, and vice-representative Ayame Jonouchi."

Tamaki took a few steps forward. Kyouya's gaze followed as Tamaki gently took the hands of the shorter girl, lifting then up as he leaned over a touch to speak with her. Kyouya slowly put a hand on his own hip as Tamaki cooed out the sweet words that Kyouya knew was coming. He could practically recite them word for word.

"You have the most beautiful straight hair I've ever seen," Tamaki stated, his eyes peering deeply into Ayame's. Ayame stared back at the blond, trapped completely in his gaze. "I would assume that your heart... is just as blindingly beautiful as that hair of yours."

...And she was gone.

Ayame was almost slack-jawed towards Tamaki. Her lips were a touch parted, her brown eyes staring back towards the half-French boy who smiled pleasantly towards her. She finally turned her head away from Tamaki bashfully, a show of femininity, her chin almost tucking into her shoulder.

The first time he saw it, Kyouya thought it was merely a cultural difference.

_Cultural difference my ass. _Kyouya let out a huff—but it was soon disrupted. He had held out his hand for Tamaki to shake as they had in the past. Bad idea.

Tamaki did take it, all right. Kyouya, while taller than Ayame and most other girls, was shorter than Tamaki—significantly shorter. Tamaki took Kyouya's hand in his, and like clockwork his posture changed; Tamaki's feet positioned themselves, his free arm tucked to the small of his back, and he turned Kyouya's hand in his, knuckles upwards.

The Shadow King recognized that position—but it was too late to do anything.

And Tamaki lifted his hand up gently, head bowing over it. The blond pressed a chaste kiss against Kyouya's knuckles.

"Its a pleasure to meet you," And Tamaki looked up to Kyouya with his royal blue eyes. Kyouya had no idea what kind of look he was giving Tamaki. He didn't want to know. But he could tell his face was staring to turn red by the hot tingle against his cheeks. "...Your eyes are so intense...! And the color is lovely... like a cup of fine tea with a splash of cream."

_A cup of fine tea with a splash of cream? Tamaki, you dumbass its me, Kyouya!_

Ayame was too busy swooning over the charming words Tamaki had summoned up just for her, leaning against the administrative assistant in efforts to stay upright. It was easy to see she was now completely lost in her own little world. Well, no offense to her, but she wasn't the most _beautiful girl _at Ouran Academy. It was only natural she would be easily flattered by someone as handsome as Tamaki.

Kyouya glared hard at Tamaki for a moment, but finally, his looked relaxed.

...So Tamaki was really meeting him for the first time. A part of him hoped perhaps Tamaki would have recognized him, and knew they were both in the same insane dream. However... if that was the case, Tamaki would have given himself up right away. The name 'Kyouya Ootori' would have been a dead giveaway, girl or otherwise.

However, since he didn't...

"Its a pleasure to meet you," Kyouya stated, his voice pleasant. Wow. His voice sounded so... _good. _It was calm, level, feminine, but soothing and a touch deeper than most girls. "...If you'd like, I could take you on a tour of the school."

Tamaki blinked once, before smiling. "That would be great, thank you, Ootori-san."

There was a pause. Kyouya stared at him.

_Ootori-san._

"...Please," And Kyouya smiled; his face harbored a welcoming expression. "...Call me Kyouya."

And when he gave that permission to the blond, Tamaki responded immediately with the smile that Kyouya was so familiar with.

* * *

_Lady Grey._

* * *

"_I told myself I would sit under a kotatsu once I got to Japan!"_

That's what Tamaki had said to Kyouya as the youngest Ootori led him around campus in yet another boring tour of Ouran Academy (though he was far more knowledgeable this time around than the first time). A kotatsu... Kyouya imagined the low table with the futon and electric heater underneath it. Kotatsu's were only used during the winter... how much more idiotic could Tamaki get?

He let out a sigh, closing up his satchel.

"Ohhh...! Isn't he just gorgeous?" A voice came from the right. A second voice instantly followed.

"Yes! The new student is so dreamy! A total prince!"

They must have been talking about Tamaki. The blond was certainly the hot topic today. After taking Tamaki on the tour of the school, other than pleasant 'hellos', he and Tamaki had hardly said _anything _to each other.

Had their friendship started out so slowly before?

Kyouya rose from his seat, skirt fluttering as he did so. He reached back, tossing some of his hair over his shoulder, grasping a hold of his brown leather satchel. The girls who had been talking about Tamaki instantly looked up and over at him.

"Hey, Kyouya-chan!" One called out to him. He almost didn't answer due to the honorific attached to his name, but the dark-haired youth had to remember _he _was a _she, _currently. With a tinge of regret, Kyouya turned his ash-brown eyes onto the girls, but said nothing. The girls took it as a sign to continue. "You gave Tamaki-kun a tour of the school, right? What's he like?"

"What's he like?" And Kyouya paused briefly, a hand rising up to his face, as if considering. "...If I had to sum him up in one sentence..." And Kyouya offered the girls a smile, eyes closed from behind her glasses.

"...A complete dumbass."

"Ahhhhh!" Both of the girls squealed. "Kyouya-chan, that's so meeaaaan!" And they exploded into giggles. Kyouya barely felt a twitch of a smile on his lips as one of them continued. "Kyouya-chan, you're picky about guys, aren't you? I bet he has to be just as smart as you!"

"I'm not..." Uh. Hmm. "...I'm not really interested, at the moment. I have other important things to worry about." Such as how he was going to turn back into a man. And get back to his... time. Unless... he was dead, and this was somehow the afterlife. That was always a potential thought. Kyouya swallowed a bit.

And suddenly, a familiar, bubbling voice called out from behind.

"Kyouya!" And Tamaki waved over to her. Kyouya twitched a bit, turning around to glance back at Tamaki. The half-French, half-Japanese boy was smiling, and Kyouya could almost see the air of glitter, sparkles, and roses that bloomed around his face. Beside Kyouya, the two girls he had been chatting with swooned. "Thank you for taking me on that tour of the school! Allow me to walk you to your car. You are being picked up, correct?"

"Ah. Yes." Kyouya looked to Tamaki, who was heading right over to him. If there was one thing that Kyouya couldn't stand at this moment... it was that he had to look up! _He had to look up! _"...All right. If that's what you want."

"Of course!" And Tamaki made a lavish gesture with his arm towards the doorway. As if on cue, the girls by Kyouya let out dual swoons. "It would be an honor to lead you to your destination. I'm ready when you are, Kyouya! Here, and allow me to carry your bag."

"That's not..." But it was too late. Tamaki had taken it from him, and suddenly he was lighter. He watched as the blond carried both of the satchels in one hand easily, and offered him a smile when Kyouya stared up at him. Kyouya stared at him in silence for a bit. The students were filling out of the classroom. Tamaki stared at him, waiting patiently.

"Is something wrong, Kyouya?"

That sentence seemed to take Kyouya out of... whatever trance he had been in. He had just been mindlessly staring in Tamaki's direction. "Mm. Nothing."

"Oh?" And Tamaki suddenly brightened a touch, a sly look crossing his face as his free hand reached up to his hair, tossing his golden bangs back and out from his eyes. "Are you sure you weren't just admiring my dashing good looks?"

There was a bit of silence.

"...We should get to my car, hm?" And Kyouya turned away from Tamaki, heading out of the classroom. The best course of action was to never acknowledge his antics. Tamaki stared blankly after him for a moment, before hurrying up to follow the dark-haired beauty.

* * *

_Lady Grey._

* * *

When Kyouya woke up the next day, he had been hoping that things would be back to normal. He was greatly disappointed. He sat up, only to see the same lavender walls, a fresh set of blue roses set out for him, and his pastel-yellow nightgown. He was still a girl.

A cute girl, but a girl all the same. Kyouya stared down at his milky white thighs in contemplation before sliding out of bed to go and take his shower.

So he had met Tamaki yesterday. Kyouya paused just inside of the door, shedding his nightgown. It had been a bit of an anti-climatic affair. Not that he really should of expected much else. He had met Tamaki once before, in his _real past. _Though back then, things had been different. The blond had been almost tripping over himself for the chance to visit Kyoto and Okinawa... but they hadn't come up in conversation at all. Kyouya reached back with both hands, fiddling with the strap of his silver bra.

...But why not? He had believed he had been steering the conversation in the right direction.

When he had finished undressing himself, Kyouya stepped into the shower portion of the bathroom, the tile cold under his bare feet. He shifted uncomfortably for a moment, reaching out and turning on the water for the shower head. He picked it up, testing out how hot the water is. Kyouya sprayed it on the cold tile to warm it up, before sitting down on the short stool, starting his bathing routine, though it was still a bit strange. After all, he had gained and lost in different areas of the body.

His mind drifted to the conversation he had with the girls about Tamaki the day before.

"_Kyouya-chan, you're picky about guys, aren't you?"_

...And suddenly, Kyouya wondered.

Here he was... trapped in a woman's body, and wondering how to get home. He had all his past memories of the life he led back in _his _time, dimension, what have you. However...

He had no memories of his supposed _female _life. Kyouya suddenly pulled his knees up a bit, bringing his legs closer to his body.

Oh. Ah.

...Did he have friends? What was the relationship with his sister like? Had he ever been _involved _with someone? Was he still a vir-

_Of course you are. Thinking otherwise is ridiculous. _Good thing he managed to stop the thought-train there. He was about to get himself riled up for nothing! But the commentary the girls left had him wondering. They spoke as if they had proof to back up their claims. Had he, as a woman, turned down various boys in their class?

After finishing his shower and soak, Kyouya primped himself properly. There was a whole new formula of skincare products he had to master. Washing and carefully applying each one, the young man finished his regime, before starting on his waved hair. He played with it for a bit, watching the hair fall down past his shoulders. Kyouya brushed it, taking note of how well-kept it was.

He wasn't ashamed to admit it: he made a _really cute girl. _He wondered within the next year if he'd grow any taller. He was already taller than most girls in his class, so it was only natural if she-

_He. _Kyouya slammed his hands on the marble sink, looking into the mirror with his ash-brown eyes.

What was this talk of _within the next year? _No. He was going to find a way back. And that was that.

After he finished dressing for school, Kyouya quickly headed out to join his brothers for breakfast. The morning passed much like it had the day before. This time, however, there was no offer for a ride. Yuuichi was leaving early in order to take care of some affairs. And so, the driver took Kyouya to Ouran Academy, where his day began.

Kyouya walked into the classroom. He was a bit early; only a couple of students were in the classroom. The others were most likely in the dining hall having breakfast or catching up with friends in the halls. It reminded him to check his cellphone. Surely... he would find different numbers in there. Ones of friends, perhaps?

He set his satchel on his desk. Kyouya's brown skirt fluttered as he rounded the desk, and just as he turned, he heard someone approach from behind. The young Ootori turned, looking back, only to see one of his fellow classmates behind him. It was a taller boy, with brown hair and matching brown eyes. Kyouya stared at him for a moment, trying to remember who he was, but then it hit him.

_This one is the son of a well-known funds manager._

"Good morning, Ootori-chan." Kyouya finally recognized him as a boy named Hikibi Noru. Kyouya looked at him expectantly, and Hibiki smiled to her. He was one of the more charming ones, certainly.

But he couldn't hold a candle to Tamaki.

"Did you think over what I asked a couple of days ago?" Hibiki asked, looking expectant. Kyouya stared at him blankly for a moment. "...You said you would have an answer for me by today."

…

Kyouya's eyes were locked onto the other. He had... no idea what he was talking about. _What had he asked him? _Or _her, _he supposed. That changed the dynamic completely. Something that he would have an answer for by today? What could it possibly have been?

It didn't take long for the realization to roll over.

Had he, or rather, his female counterpart, _liked this boy? _But he was the one asking her. Ah, but that didn't really mean anything now, did it? Kyouya knew he was prone to keeping things to himself. This was probably no different.

But still.

Hibiki was watching Kyouya with intense eyes. The boy put his hands on the desk suddenly with an audible slam. There was only one other student in the class, a boy, who was looking over silently. He must have been Hibiki's friend. Kyouya leaned his head back a touch as Hibiki shifted his weight, leaning over the desk, his face close to the youngest Ootori.

"Well?" The boy asked, and Hibiki's eyes stared intensely back towards Kyouya. "What do you say?

"Have you made your decision?"

_What would I have said?_

Before Kyouya opened his mouth, he noticed Hibiki's friend step back out of the corner of his eye. Suddenly, a hand landed on Hibiki's shoulder, making a solid sound. Both Kyouya and Hibiki looked to the source.

"Tamaki," Kyouya let out. His voice remained calm as ever. Tamaki glanced to her, and offered the Ootori a smile, before pulling Hibiki back.

"Hello there," The blond stated, his voice light. However, Kyouya recognized that tone of voice. A gentle voice to diffuse the situation at hand. "Noru-san, its not very polite to rush a woman concerning personal matters."

Hibiki scoffed, pulling his shoulder away from Tamaki.

"Keep out of this, Suoh." Hibiki turned away from the half-French boy, looking to Kyouya. His gaze hardened a bit. "...I knew you were popular, Ootori-chan... but I didn't think you had guys at your beck and call. I guess you can't handle your own problems."

Hibiki moved passed Kyouya. His shoulder very gently bumped against the young woman's, and underneath his breath, Hibiki muttered a word Kyouya had never heard directed at him in his entire life.

"_Whore."_

The boy joined his friend on the other side of the room.

For some reason, Kyouya felt his legs freeze in place. On top of his satchel, his fingers started to slowly grip at the leather buckles. Tamaki was looking over to where Hibiki had retreated, before turning back to Kyouya.

"Are you all right, Kyou... hm?" Tamaki's royal blue eyes landed on Kyouya's fingers, to which the black-haired student instantly relaxed. Kyouya looked up at Tamaki, ash brown eyes meeting the blue ones.

"I'm fine." No.

"Wonderful!" And Tamaki's mood seemed to instantly return. More students were making their way into the classroom, and the sound of a few girls calling out the blond's name had Tamaki glancing back. "As long as you're fine! I'll see you some other time, Kyouya!"

And just like that, Tamaki was swept away. Kyouya watched as he headed off to his desk, surrounded by a group of girls. He didn't stick around to just talk? For some reason, that in itself stung him more than that derogatory word, which, brought up something that Kyouya had known, somewhere deep inside of him, but didn't want to acknowledge.

Hibiki had so easily talked down to him... even though Kyouya knew that his family quite overpowered his in wealth and also general influence. But still... he had dared to call him such a crass name. Back in his own... whatever. When he was a _boy, _such language, such name-calling, would never have fallen from his lips, not where Kyouya could _hear it, _anyway. What was different?

He wished he didn't know. But the answer stared him in the face, as well as everyone else.

...In this world...

The bell rung for everyone to get in class. The sound of students speaking grew steadily louder. Kyouya slowly sat down at his desk.

...In this world...

He was _just_ a woman.

...And what could _she _do?

* * *

**Please review!** Thank you very much for reading another chapter.


	4. Fortunate Situation

**A/N**: Sorry for the wait for chapter three, so, instead of splitting up this chapter, I'm putting up an extra long chapter four! Enjoy!

* * *

_Lady Grey_

Chapter Four: Fortunate Situation

* * *

The week passed Kyouya by slowly, and during it, the young man (woman?) still had no answers as to why he was there in the first place. However, he wasn't quite ready yet to admit that he was perhaps crazy, and was in need of psychological help... not that there was any chance of admitting that to anyone.

It was currently Sunday—the only day in which he had saving grace from his attendance at school. Normally he wouldn't have been so gung-ho for the weekend, but his time as a girl was taking its toll. Who knew the social and physical upkeep it required to just _fit in, _let alone have friends (which he must of had, as this morning he had gotten a text from a girl named Hana that read, _Want 2 hang out 2day the mall? :)_

Kyouya had woken up in his pile of plush pillows and pastel-yellow pajamas with little black cat faces on them, holding up his phone and gazing into it. The mall...

_Allow me to check what my family is doing today first._ He texted back. Kyouya closed the phone shut in the palm of his hand, before letting out a sigh. His ash-brown eyes glanced to the mirror by his bed.

A cute, feminine face stared back.

After Kyouya's usual morning ritual, he moved to his closet and opened it. His face instantly contorted in shock. He was met with an extensive amount of clothing, almost _three times _the size he was used to. It was almost as large as _Tamaki's_ collection.

_...But what does that say about Tamaki... _Kyouya thought as his ash-brown eyes ran over the collection. This was the first time he would actually have to _pick out _an outfit as a girl. He wasn't very fashion savvy like Hikaru and Kaoru were. This was going to be impossible with all this clothing.

...How did he dress as a girl, anyway?

Kyouya looked at the collection of black hangers that sat before him, before deciding to just pick something to go off of and build the rest of his attire around. With that in mind, Kyouya reached out his right hand, plucking a hanger off of the rack and pulling it to him, sizing it up. What he got was quite pleasing.

It seemed that his female counterpart was just as fashion-challenged as he was. Instead of just one article of clothing on the hanger, it seemed each one _was its own set, _an already made outfit that she most likely compiled at a store or in a magazine or website. It was even labeled. What did [S2; J4] mean?

Kyouya studied the casual outfit for a moment; causal but put-together. It was similar to his own style back home; he rather liked casual street clothes, as long as he didn't look like a complete hoodlum in them (though really, with his looks it was near impossible). He was holding a pair of black jean shorts, a black camisole, a cropped white t-shirt with what at first seemed to be a strange, blocky design in grey across it, before he realized the front of the shirt was meant to look like a giant floppy disk, and he smiled faintly. Ah. The hidden symbols of his female counterpart's intelligence. Along with those three articles of clothing was a grey leather vest with several zippers along the front. Casual. Fashionable. Comfortable.

But what was with the tag?

"S2, J4..." Kyouya let out slowly, looking around the closet. That's when he spotted close to the ground all of the drawers where his shoes were most likely kept. And all of them labeled. S1, S2, S3, S4...

"Don't tell me." Kyouya bent down, grasping the handle of the S2 drawer and pulling it out. Inside sat about three pairs of shoes. So he had choices, it seemed. "...How efficient." He never would have thought to do the same thing, himself. But at the same time, this _was himself. _Herself? Whatever.

Kyouya dressed himself, shrugging on the new clothes. Though it felt a bit strange, showing off so much of his legs. He still wasn't used to the whole skirt and short things yet, not entirely, anyway. Once he had pulled on the clothes and chosen a pair of black-heeled sandals, he found what J4 was: jewelry. He pulled out a small drawer to find a beaded jet necklace and jet earrings, ready and waiting for him. Kyouya slowly put them on, and, after making a quick round of his two-story room in efforts to make sure everything was organized, he looked into the mirror.

...Well now.

He turned a bit in his clothing... before realizing he was being strange and somewhat checking himself out (could he even call it that?). Shaking his head, the young woman stepped out of the room, heading to Sunday brunch downstairs.

He was pleasantly surprised to find that Fuyumi was there, for once. She must have been visiting from her husband's place. Kyouya's father was absent, but both of his brothers, Yuuichi and Akito, were there having brunch. Kyouya made a noise when he spotted his sister.

"Neesan," Kyouya let out, and Fuyumi, as well as both of his brothers, looked over. Yuuichi and Akito both stood. Kyouya made his way to the table, pulling out his usual chair, which was beside his sister, to which the two sat again. He was... never going to get used to that. He looked to Fuyumi. "You're visiting..."

This was one thing different from before. Previously, Fuyumi had been at the estate when Tamaki had _arrived_. What in this timeline was different, other than being a girl?

It only proved there would be more strange changes to come.

Fuyumi nodded, smiling towards her younger sister. Yuuichi looked to Kyouya, a maid walking over and setting down a pristine white teacup with pink roses around the edges, and a gold rim.

"Imoto," Yuuichi stated to Kyouya, and Kyouya barely remembered to look up. "Do you have plans today?"

A serving of English Breakfast swilled into his delicate cup.

"Hana-san asked if I would accompany her to the mall, but..." Kyouya trailed off. He hadn't made a decision yet.

"You should go with her," Akito piped up from his spot beside his older brother. Kyouya looked over to him as Akito continued, "You spent all of last weekend studying. You're the top of your class; you can take a break once in awhile, imoto."

Yuuichi nodded in agreement. He gave a faint smile over the table to Kyouya; Kyouya would never get used to the look. Yuuichi. _Smiling. _Unfathomable.

_But, they said I was studying... _Kyouya glanced to the side when the maid set down his brunch; a wheat bagel spread with Swiss jam, and a small bowl of fruit. _That sounds more like me._ So his female self was more like his male self. That gave him some semblance of relief. And no one had called him out on acting strangely... yet. Maybe it would be a good idea to go to the mall with... Hana, whomever she was. Perhaps he could learn more about the daily habits of his female self. Besides...

...Perhaps the more he learned about this alternate universe, the more clues he would have about returning back to where he belonged.

He wondered if his female counterpart back in his world was attempting to do the same. Kyouya had no idea if that was the case, but it made _him _feel a little less crazy. Kyouya started on his meal.

Fuyumi watched his with careful eyes, before turning to her brothers.

"And what are your plans for the day?" She asked them. Akito was drinking his coffee, and Yuuichi gazing at the newspaper. The eldest son looked up to his sister.

"Otousama is at a board meeting; he won't be available for the day so I have to go and oversee the production on a few new projects..." Yuuichi spared a glance at the watch on his wrist. "...But that won't take more than an hour or two."

"I have a load of work for school," Akito added in second, tapping his finger on the table. "...So I'll be busy with that." He looked over to Kyouya. "...So Kyouya-chan, if you find yourself staying home today, I can help you with your studies."

Kyouya almost choked on his tea.

_Help me with my studies...? _Akito had _never _offered to help him with his schoolwork before. Normally he went into the lounge area of his own room and did his work alone at the table. All three of his siblings looked over with worried expressions as Kyouya covered his mouth, coughing a little. Fuyumi's hand pet his back gently.

"Are you all right?" Yuuichi and Akito instantly asked at the same time. When they realized they had spoke in unison, they looked to one another. Yuuichi's mouth pressed into a straight line. Akito looked back down to his plate. Kyouya let out a deep breath.

"...I'm fine." What kind of topsy-turvy world was he _living in?_

"If you decide to off with Hana, I'll drop you off at the mall, or her estate," Yuuichi offered.

...He really _was _in an upside-down world!

"Or," Fuyumi spoke, and she pulled Kyouya into her. "Kyouya-chan can stay with me today. I haven't seen my little sister in awhile. We could bond a bit! You're becoming such a beautiful young lady! One day you'll have hair as long as mine!" And Fuyumi played with the ends of Kyouya's shoulder-length hair. But Kyouya's mind was racing.

When in the hell had his family become some kind of _sitcom? _They were _playing with him. _Asking if he needed help with his _homework! _Offering rides and drives...

_Why had so much **changed**, just because he was a **girl?**_

"I'm going out; I can take a car," Kyouya suddenly stated, voice firm. He slapped his hands on the table, rising forcefully onto his feet. He practically stormed out of the dining room, the heels of his sandals clicking as the young woman exited the room. It didn't take him long to go up to his room, locate what looked to be his purse and cellphone and, after checking to make sure his wallet was inside (a beautiful vintage beaded bag), Kyouya headed out to the front, asking one of the attendants for a car to take him out. While he waited, he shot Hana a text.

_I'm coming. Where should we meet?_

_How about Pearl Park? U like that 1._

He did? _All right. I'll be there in twenty._

_OK!_

A disturbed smile twitched up a bit on Kyouya's pretty face. _Something tells me this Hana girl is going to be as dreadfully insane as Renge. _

The driver and the car pulled up. Kyouya entered the vehicle in the back, looking up to the driver.

"Pearl Park," He stated, situating himself in the car. The driver nodded, smiling to her as they pulled out. Kyouya looked out the window in thought.

"You look lovely today, Kyouya-sama," The driver spoke, glancing into the rear view mirror. Kyouya looked over to him, staring for a blank moment.

_Uh..._ "...Thank you." Kyouya must have been the only one who found this strange, because the drive instantly went back to his job, as if this was a normal occurrence. Was boosting a woman's confidence part of his job description? He never remembered being told he looked "handsome" or "well-put together" or anything like that.

...Was really being a woman this much different?

When they arrived to Pearl Park, Kyouya realized he was in for some trouble. _He didn't know what Hana looked like. _He had never seen her before; they must have been in different classes at school, as he had never heard her name in class, and they had never eaten lunch together... he exited the car and waved to the driver as he pulled off.

He would just have to hope that this Hana would find him without his help.

Until then...

Pearl Park was an outdoor shopping center, and the weather was nice and cool for being outdoors. The right amount of sunshine beamed down on him. Kyouya ran her fingers through her wavy, shoulder-length hair. If it was straighter, it would probably be pretty long...

Kyouya shot a text to Hana to let the girl know he was here. But when he looked up, he was suddenly distracted by an odd sale going on at a shop across the walkway. Kyouya looked both ways before crossing the street, and there is where he spotted it.

A kotatsu.

"_I told myself I would sit under a kotatsu once I got to Japan!" _Tamaki had chanted during his tour of Ouran Academy. There were a variety on sale at the moment; the cold weather wasn't for another few months. Kyouya's ash-brown eyes lowered a bit from behind her glasses. People cruising the outdoor mall passed by her as she stood outside of the shop, gazing into the window.

...Would Tamaki find someone else to sit under a kotatsu with? Did he still uphold Kyouya to getting one for him come the winter time, even though the Ootori had said they could sit under one together so Tamaki would know what it was like?

Did he uphold Kyouya to _anything _anymore?

As he stood there, gazing at the electronic kotatsu available for sale, Kyouya's mind slowly turned over the odd events that had yet to take place... or rather, never did. They never went to Kyoto, or Osaka. Did Tamaki ever get to see all the things he wanted to? Did he find someone else to fill the void that Kyouya had left the other with?

He didn't notice his fist clenching at his side.

What if Tamaki forgot about him? No... Tamaki already _had _forgotten about him.

...What if because now that he was a _she,_ Tamaki-

A sudden _smack _reverberated off of his backside. Kyouya gasped, both hands coming back to cover her butt. She looked to the side sharply, where two older boys were passing by with evil grins on their faces, both dressed in street clothing.

"Nice ass, sweetheart," The one with obviously dyed blond hair chimed out. His tongue stuck out at her; Kyouya spotted the tongue piercing and grimaced a bit.

The youngest Ootori turned to them. They had _slapped her ass! _Kyouya couldn't _believe it! _He started to move forward, mouth opening to say something rather uncouth, however, his arm was grabbed from behind. He almost whirled around to smack the other person, but it was a young woman with long, straight black hair and bright blue eyes. This must have been Hana.

"Don't give them the satisfaction," She stated, and Kyouya turned back to the boys, who high-fived one another as they kept going down the street. "Just let them walk away, Kyouya-chan."

Kyouya felt something in him rising. Something that she hadn't known was missing, not until _that _happened.

Drive. There was a beautiful flame that sparked itself inside of Kyouya's chest. That was it. That was what had disappeared, but now made itself known. Kyouya settled himself down beside Hana. The young woman let go of Kyouya's arm, but the Ootori barely noticed. He had wondered why so much had changed, just because he was a girl, but...

...It wasn't a matter of _just _because.

...There was a big difference between being a man, and being a woman.

How had he not seen it before?

...But he—no.

...But _she_ did, now.

Hana spoke, snapping Kyouya out of her thoughts.

"Come on, Kyouya-chan! Cecil McBee is having a sale on clothing! You like that brand, don't you?" And suddenly, Hana was tugging Kyouya in the opposite direction down the sidewalk. The ends of Kyouya's wavy hair fluttered behind her, and the two girls headed towards the store, gathering looks from guys and even some girls as they walked. But even as Hana attempted to do her best to distract her... Kyouya had felt as if she had found her purpose.

_Its the same fight. No. _Kyouya's eyes slid to Hana, who was chattering away, wearing a cute, floral print dress and a tan cardigan thrown over it. _The odds are even worse. At least back home, while third in line... at least I was male._

_...But here, I'm just the youngest Ootori._

_I'm just a woman._

_...I'm just a little girl._

Just a girl... but there was nothing he could do about _that. _Nothing he could do about being born a _woman. _

...What a dreadful fact to accept.

And the further she walked away from that area of confrontation, the further her heart sank.

* * *

_Lady Grey_

* * *

Two weeks flew by... totaling everything to three weeks in total. Three. Almost an entire month. During that whole time, Kyouya hardly looked up from her books; she had never studied so hard in her life, both as a man, or a woman.

"_Kyouya," Fuyumi had stated to her while sitting on the floor of her room and attempting to fold her clothing. "You really shouldn't push yourself so hard. Its all right to take a break once in awhile. Its not as if father expects as much from you as he would Yuuichi and Akito. You're a girl, so its perfectly fine to relax."_

_On the floor of Kyouya's room, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, the youngest Ootori let out a heavy sigh. She had buried herself in college workbooks over the course of the week. Kyouya looked over, several hairpins in her hair to keep her bangs out of her face. A blue rose pin and a black kitten pin stood out prominently among the plain bobby pins. "That's exactly why I can't take a break, Neechan. How am I supposed to prove myself to Otousama if I just sit back and relax?"_

"_You're the top of your class, just like your brothers were. You've already proven yourself to him."_

"_But you said it yourself. Just like my brothers." Kyouya turned away, going back to the complicated calculus that sat on her desk. "I'll never succeed at impressing him if I just idle about. I have to exceed my brothers, and not look as if I'm stepping on their toes..." And Kyouya ignored Fuyumi, continuing with her work._

But that was the problem.

...How did she exceed her brothers... without stepping over the limits of being a woman in this cut-throat patriarch family?

Kyouya had exited one of the cars at front, coming back from a trip to the city library. She was wearing a pleated black skirt, a white t-shirt with blue roses across it, and a comfortable black cardigan to keep her warm while in the library (it got pretty cold in there while studying). Knee-high black socks and black, half-inch heeled shoes covered the girl's feet. A heavy backpack was on one shoulder, where Kyouya was keeping the books she had checked out.

At the front door, Fuyumi stood, waiting on top of the steps.

Kyouya lowered his ash-brown eyes a bit. A sudden wash of deja-vu came over her, and at the bottom for the staircase, her feet came to a halt on their own. Kyouya stared up at her older sister, who looked back to the house, the over at Kyouya.

And Fuyumi smiled. "...Your friend is here to see you."

Before Kyouya could stop herself, the scene played out naturally. "...Friend?"

..._Tamaki._

Kyouya hurried up the steps, skirt fluttering around her thighs as she did. When she and Fuyumi entered the living room, Kyouya' ears caught the sounds of Tamaki's piano playing. The notes drifted through the hallway.

Both of the girls stopped at the doorway. Inside, Akito and Yuuichi were there, sitting on the couch and watching Tamaki play.

Kyouya felt his heart pound once, hard, in his chest. That beautiful music... it felt like forever since he heard it. On the grand piano just meters away, Tamaki sat on the bench in casual clothes; a white t-shirt with blue stars across the front, and a matching sky-blue, sleeveless hoodie. Tamaki continued playing, his royal blue eyes concentrated on the ivories of the piano.

Fuyumi smiled by Kyouya, and with a delicate hand, lifted it to her eyes, sniffling.

"His playing..." She murmured faintly beside her little sister. "...Its so beautiful. It brings me to tears." On the couch, both Yuuichi and Akito had been brought to tears as well.

* * *

_Lady Grey_

* * *

In Kyouya's lounge area, Fuyumi had happily brought the two students cups of tea. Kyouya and Tamaki sat on the large white couch in the youngest Ootori's room, sitting fully apart from one another. Kyouya sat partially facing away from the half-French boy, legs crossed, the pleats of her black skirt splayed on the seat of the couch. Tamaki finished taking a drink from his cup.

...The scent of Lady Grey hung in the air. Tamaki hummed a bit, setting the cup down back on its saucer, then back on the table. He turned his head, looking to Kyouya.

"I'm sorry for just coming by out of the blue like this," Tamaki stated. Kyouya narrowed her eyes from behind her glasses, but at the angle the young woman was facing, Tamaki couldn't see her face.

_If that's how you felt, you shouldn't have come in the first place! _"There are some important tests coming up in class soon. Are you sure you should even be over here? I thought you would be studying," Kyouya stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Tamaki seemed to ignore her statement, humming as he looked around Kyouya's room. "I have to say, Kyouya, your house is huge! I wonder which one is bigger... this, or my home." Tamaki looked back to her. "You know, the one back in France."

_Now he's making snide remarks? _

"I'm not sure about your mansion in France," Kyouya stated, and she finally turned to look over at her guest, adjusting her silver-rimmed glasses. "But, Tamaki, we both know for a fact that the Suoh Estate is-"

Kyouya caught herself.

_...That's right. Tamaki hasn't been to the Main Estate yet because of his grandmother. _He had to remember, he was not only a girl, but two years in the past.

Tamaki blinked to Kyouya. "...The main Estate? I haven't been there, myself. But I'm sure its big!" And he smiled to her. "...Those were your brothers and sister I saw in there, right? It must be pretty cozy, living in a house with so many siblings!"

Kyouya's left eye twitched a bit. "...Don't talk about my siblings as if you know them, Tamaki," she stated firmly, ash-brown eyes focused on the young man. Tamaki stared back with his royal blue eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Tamaki stated slowly, before asking, "...Do you and your siblings not get along, then?"

"Its more that our relationship is..." Huh. What did he call it, now? "...Strange." Kyouya looked away, over to the table that held the innocent cups of Lady Grey. "...Its because I'm the youngest, and my brothers are the heirs to the Ootori Group. They feel they have the right to treat me like a child or something because of it."

"The heirs, huh...?" Tamaki leaned back a little into the couch, but his eyes were still on Kyouya, giving the dark-haired girl his undivided attention. He moved just a little closer on the couch in efforts to provide some sense of intimacy. "...Well, what about you? I know you're the top of our class! You must work really hard! Surely you want to do something important once you're out of school, too!"

"...Me? Hm..." Kyouya thought about all the hours she had been putting into studying, but... it didn't feel like anything changed around her. Her brothers still treated her the exact same. "...At this rate, I'll probably just end up working under my brothers."

_"Really._" Tamaki's voice rang out, clear as a bell. The boy straightened up, pushing his back a bit off the couch. "...is that so? I would have assumed just by looking at you that's you'd want more than that, Kyouya."

Kyouya's heart gave a pound. She whipped her head over to look at Tamaki, wavy hair batting against her round cheeks as her ash-brown eyes came into contact with his. Tamaki merely stared back as he continued, "...I mean, just by looking into your eyes... I can tell you're completely unsatisfied with your situation.

"Seems to me you're giving up too easily."

_Giving up?_

Kyouya's fists clenched from where they rested on her lap. "...Don't tell me I'm giving up, you idiot." Tamaki's eyes lowered down to her fists. Her nails started to dig into the palms of her hands. "...That's just the way things are!

"_Someone who's so easily going to become the heir to__** their family **__as a matter of course couldn't possibly understand what it means like!"_

Tamaki let out a small noise in shock. Kyouya gasped a bit, looking away from him in embarrassment. Dammit! She hadn't meant to let that slip.

But after a small bit of silence passed, Tamaki continued.

"...It isn't certain I'll be the heir to the Suoh Family, you know," Tamaki stated, and Kyouya felt like an idiot. _He knew that. _"My grandmother doesn't like me, so... unless things change, I'm not the heir. I'm not anything."

Kyouya remained quiet.

"But, when you think about it, I'm not really interested in my father's line of work, anyway." Tamaki chuckled, raising a hand to his face, running his fingers through flaxen hair. "But even if I don't become the heir, I have these looks! People around me just can't seem to leave me alone!"

Kyouya looked over to Tamaki. What was he going on about? She watched as he started spatting off about perhaps becoming a brilliant scientist, or even opening up an animal kingdom in the north—what in the _world? _How could he so easily just pass up the opportunity to be the heir like this? Even the second time around this whole "animal kingdom" business seemed completely idiotic!

And still, even so, here he was, acting as if being an heir was something he could so easily toss aside!

Didn't he know what it felt like?

Didn't he understand how much this _hurt to hear?_

And suddenly, Kyouya rose to her feet, hands grasping onto the ends of the table. Tamaki let out a noise, reaching out to stop her, but Kyouya flipped the table over easily, the ends of her skirt fluttering as the wind swept upwards. The tea cups flew off first, splattering Lady Grey all over the carpet. Sugar cubes went rolling across the floor. Tamaki fell to the floor, but Kyouya was quick to grab a hold of the collar of his t-shirt, slamming both of them onto the ground. Tamaki landed on his back, hard. Kyouya slammed her bottom on top of his stomach, and Tamaki let out a faint groan of pain as the girl straddled him, pulling the collar up close to her face, which forced the blond's head to hover just a few inches off the ground.

"K-Kyouya...!" Tamaki let out. His face was quickly turning red. He could feel the pooling warmth of Kyouya's female physique against his bare stomach, as Kyouya had lifted his shirt up almost to his ribcage. The soft skin of her thighs slid against the sides of Tamaki's torso. The blond did everything in his power to keep from flailing; he settled for slamming his hands to the side. Kyouya, however, barely noticed. She was too busy glaring, hard, down at the half-French man.

"Don't give me your bullshit!" Kyouya snapped at him, and Tamaki stared back with incredulous royal blue eyes, Kyouya continuing to snap at him. "How can you talk like you've given up so easily? You aren't like me, in this world _or the next!" _And Kyouya gave Tamaki a firm rattle, feeling tears welling up in the back of her eyes. "...You have the chance to soar as high as you want to! All you have to do is _try_, Tamaki!

"Take advantage of the situation you've been blessed with!" And Kyouya slammed Tamaki into the ground once, before lifting him back up. "...Take advantage of the fact... that you're someone important! That you aren't something pitiful, such as a orphan with no future, or a third born son! Take advantage of the fact...

"_That you're not a woman, like me!"_

Kyouya clutched onto the fabric of Tamaki's shirt tightly. Oh god. The tears were coming. She was trying her best to fight them off, but slowly, she could feel that burning heat slowly bubbling towards the surface, and-

–...And Tamaki spoke.

"...Hold on."

Kyouya seemed to snap out of her thoughts. She managed to blink tears back behind her ashen eyes, turning her focus on Tamaki, who was trapped underneath her.

"Kyouya... if you want to surpass your brothers, then you can do it. I've seen the way you work in class, and everyone talks about you, you know. You're actually pretty popular, despite the fact you always seem to be too busy studying to socialize. And you're the top student in our class, right? Whether you're a man, or a woman... that doesn't have to do with anything.

"My grandmother is in charge of our family... so if you want to turn the Ootori Family into a matriarch, or even if you just want to show your family what you're capable of... being a girl shouldn't stop you.

"...The only one who's given up here...

"_...Is you, Kyouya,"_

Kyouya's fingers let go of Tamaki's shirt. They were trembling far too hard to keep a hold of him. This conversation...

Once again, Tamaki had turned it around on him. Once again... here Kyouya sat, close-minded, and even though she was _two years ahead..._

Somehow...

...Tamaki was _still teaching her._

There was a faint chuckle, and Tamaki looked around from his position on the floor. Kyouya glanced to him, and Tamaki chirped, "By the way... where is that kotatsu you promised me, huh? You know, on the first day I arrived? You haven't forgotten about it, have you?"

Kyouya started blankly at Tamaki as he continued, "That's the whole reason I came by! I thought you'd have it by now."

The young woman stared at him, before she finally smacked him upside the head. Tamaki let out a yelp as Kyouya slowly rose to her feet.

"You dumbass," She stated firmly, putting both hands on her hips as she stood over Tamaki with a flutter of her pleated skirt. The blond's gaze immediately shot up to her face as Kyouya replied, "If you knew _anything _about Japanese culture, you would have known that kotatsu are only used in the winter. So if you want to sit under one, you'll have to wait until then." And Kyouya leaned over a bit, smirking devilishly in Tamaki's face. "Not everything in this world revolves around you, you know."

Tamaki blinked up at Kyouya once. Twice. "...Oh man. What an evil face you're making..." And the blond smiled up at her. "...So you're finally showing your true colors!"

Kyouya merely shook her head. She slowly bent down a bit, holding out her hand to him. Tamaki stared at it, before slowly reaching out, taking a hold of it. Kyouya's hand was now significantly smaller than Tamaki's own.

...But, she could still hold him up, if needed to.

* * *

_Lady Grey_

* * *

_Three Months Later._

It was snowing outside of Kyouya's bedroom windows. Kyouya made her way over to the kotatsu in the lounge area, wearing a soft, baby-blue turtleneck, a khaki colored skirt, and pastel-blue stockings. Her house slippers shuffled on the floor as she held a tray that held two cups of warm, steaming green tea and some snacks prepared fresh by the staff in the kitchen. Sitting on one side of the kotatsu was Tamaki. He looked up excitedly to his friend once she came into the room.

"Oh, Kyouya!" Tamaki exclaimed as the girl walked in. "I just thought of an amazing idea! When we start high school, we should start a Host Club!"

Kyouya halted by the table.

"...Host Club..." She let out slowly. That's right_. The Host Club_. In the course of almost a third of the year... it was easy to forget. It must of sounded more like an inquisitive question to Tamaki, because the blond continued with the prompt.

"Yes! That way, I can finally make use of my dashing good looks! And Kyouya, you would be our manager! You're really smart and you'd understand what would bring clients in, right? Oh! And I already know who to ask!

"_Haninozuka-senpai, Morinozuka-senpai, and those second-year twins!"_

Kyouya slowly lowered herself at the table, handing Tamaki his drink. She listened to him talk excitedly about the Host Club, and as he did, memories suddenly came swirling back to her. That was right...

The Host Club... it was a turning point for so many people... and even as a woman, it had still been brought up. And who was she to say no? Besides...

...It reaffirmed that she really wasn't crazy. She really was a boy in another place. And...

...If the Host Club was coming back together, maybe...

...Maybe she could find the answers she sought.

* * *

**Please Review! **Thank you for reading! Be prepared, everyone! The Host Club is getting back together!


	5. Prepare, Ouran, For the Host Club!

_Lady Grey_

Chapter Five: Prepare, Ouran, for the Host Club!

* * *

Kyouya took a slow seat in a plush, pink-and-gold chair. The beautiful young woman sat up a bit straighter, staring into the mirror that sat before her. Fitted in a dusty blue dress with a cream-colored, antique lace collar, Kyouya's ash-brown eyes stared at the wavy hair that sat just past her shoulders, and had her last moments with it.

Behind her, a trendy-looking older woman slid up behind her. She pulled on an apron, a small, gold crown symbol over the breast.

"Just a cut?" The hairdresser asked one last time, pulling out a pair of scissors. She ran her fingers through Kyouya's silky hair. "Are you certain? You have such beautiful hair."

Kyouya let out a small chuckle, closing her eyes serenely. Instantly, the image of Tamaki's face came into view.

"_Even if you just want to show your family what you're capable of... being a girl shouldn't stop you."_

There was an empty beat. The sound of women talking and appliances whirring filled the upscale salon. The hairdresser flicked on a pink cover with a matching crown in the middle, tying it around Kyouya's neck to protect her clothing.

"...I'm certain," The youngest Ootori finally stated, looking back into the mirror. She reached up and removed her silver-rimmed glasses. "Cut it, please."

"All right," The stylist finally relented, and she picked up a bottle of spray from the black granite counter tops. She started to mist down Kyouya's wavy locks, before working a comb through it. "Did you just want a new look? I suppose school is starting back up, isn't it?"

"Its my first year of high school," Kyouya responded slowly, though she didn't give up any more information than that about the haircut. Why would she want someone she didn't know in her business? Was it normal for women to just gossip like this? Kyouya could hear the chattering that sounded throughout the hair salon. Perhaps so.

"Oh, I see! That's good; most young girls usually get their haircut after a bad breakup," The woman teased. She pulled out the scissors, looking at Kyouya in the mirror. "Now hold still, all right? I think I know a good haircut for you."

Kyouya didn't say anything as the stylist started on her hair. _Snip. Snip. _Kyouya watched as a few locks hit her shoulders, tumbling down the cape and to the ground. _Snip. Snip. _With every cut, her hair grew progressively shorter and shorter.

It didn't take any longer than ten minutes. Finally, The hairdresser turned Kyouya's chair back around, dusting off the remaining bits of hair that covered her, before handing her a silver hand-mirror. Kyouya stared at her reflection.

Her hair had been cut into a layered bob-cut, somewhat reminiscent of her hairstyle while a man. However, this cut was still slightly waved, and had a bit of volume to it. The hair had been cut to curl around and frame her softer face. There were several layers. Fashionable, and still feminine; but shorter. Much better. Kyouya slowly slipped her glasses back on with one hand to get a better look at herself.

"...This is good. Thank you," Kyouya stated, nodding her head. She stared into the mirror for a bit longer, regarding her reflection, and for the first time in her life...

...She wondered if Tamaki would like it or not.

* * *

_Lady Grey._

* * *

Delicate hands tightened the maroon ribbon that lay innocently tucked her the crisp white collar of the Ouran Academy girls uniform. Kyouya stared at herself in the mirror of her bedroom, letting out a faint sigh as she took a step back, staring at herself.

The pastel yellow uniform had a perfect, crisp flair from Kyouya's waist. Perfect white stockings covered her legs, and shiny black shoes covered her feet; all uniform standard. The cuffs were pristine, starched, and bleached, and, with a new haircut to start off the school year, Kyouya felt that she had reached a whole new chapter of life.

...This is where it would all begin.

The breakfast, the young woman had taken her seat at the table in silence, hardly noticing the looks that both brothers, and even her father were giving her. Akito was the first to speak.

"Imoto," The boy stated instantly, his voice sounding a bit shocked. "...Your hair..."

Kyouya lowered the cup of Lady Grey from her lips. She had developed a penchant for it, over the course of half a year. Her eyes turned over to her two brothers.

"What about it?" Kyouya asked.

"Its..." Akito stated slowly, but Yoshio Ootori looked over to his youngest child, and lowered his paper.

"Kyouya," He stated soundly, and Kyouya looked over to her father. There was an obvious pause before he spoke. "...You look very refined. As expected as a member of the Ootori family."

And Kyouya nodded. "...Thank you, Otousama." When she finished her meal, she rose from the table. She wasn't going to say anything, but her father filled in the silence for her.

"Its your first day in the high school division of Ouran Academy," Yoshio stated, looking over at his daughter from behind his glasses. "...You and the Suoh heir have become close, yes? Be sure to continue reflecting your aptitude as a member of this family. At the moment... I couldn't be more proud of you.

"You are growing to be an outstanding young woman; far more capable that I ever would have imagined."

Kyouya stared at her father. Before, if she had heard those words, that praise, she would have instantly nodded and thanked her father gratefully. But this time? It wasn't the case.

Kyouya picked up her satchel that sat at the foot of the chair. She looked to her father again, before smiling.

"...Just because I'm a girl, Otousama... doesn't mean I'm any less capable of greatness." And she started out of the dining room, her black, half-inch heeled shoes clicking against the floor as she waved a had lazily back in a good-bye. "...Tamaki taught me that."

She didn't wait for an reaction. Kyouya headed out, where a car was already waiting for her to take her to school. The driver helped her inside, complimenting her on the new uniform and haircut, before driving to Ouran Academy. Today, as they pulled up to the large, exquisite building, it looked small in comparison. High school at Ouran Academy. The Host Club getting back together.

Things that were familiar were slowly returning to her.

Kyouya thanked the driver as she exited the car. The young woman started up the stairs to the front of the school, the yellow ruffles of her new high school uniform swaying with each poised step. As Kyouya made her way through the school to collect her schedule for the new year, she was greeted with many looks. She must have looked very different in comparison, now, and many of the older students wouldn't instantly know her by mere looks.

After collecting her schedule, Kyouya wondered what class Tamaki was in. Surely, they would be in the same one like they were last year. Kyouya's gaze was on the paper, and she started to head towards her new classroom.

But that's when she heard her.

"Kyouya-chan! Is that _you?"_

The voice of Hana rang out in the hall. Kyouya slowly turned, looking back to her. He saw the girl hurry up to her, long, pin-straight hair fluttering behind her. Hana slowed down, her face settling into a strange look, but it disappeared quickly.

"You cut your hair!"

"Yes," Kyouya answered, nodding. Hana reached out, letting a couple of fingers fiddle with the ends.

"...It looks good," Hana stated. Her voice almost sounded dejected. Was she upset that Kyouya had cut her hair? "Anyway, I haven't seen you in almost two months! You should invite me over sometime." She didn't give Kyouya a chance to respond; not that she had much of a reply ready anyway. "What class are you in?"

"1-A," Kyouya spoke, moving down the hallway towards class. "...Yourself?"

"1-C," Hana stated with a sigh. "I suppose we're doomed to not being in the same class once again!" She tossed back a length of long, black hair. A few guys looked over as she did, and Hana glanced back to them. A smile slid up on her face as she walked along with Kyouya to class. "Oh! I got some great make up from MAC. Look at my lashes! They're huge! You could do with some make-up, Kyouya; it will make you stand out."

"I think I stand out plenty, thank you."

"You could always do with a little more girlish charm, I think."

The two made it to room 1-A. Kyouya was a little early. She peered inside the classroom, spotting a few familiar faces from last year. Hana, however, had turned away from her, bright blue eyes brightening at the sight of a certain blond making his way over.

"Oh! Its Tamaki-kun!" Hana remarked. She instantly waved a hand towards the blond, who blinked over to the girl, before offering her a charming smile.

"Good morning," Tamaki replied. He recognized her face; she was one of the girls Kyouya was usually seen with. He was looking rather sharp in his new high school uniform; the crisp blue blazer hugged Tamaki's figure perfectly, black pants only helping to lengthen his already tall frame. As he walked, several girls stopped to gaze towards him; he was right. He really couldn't be left alone with his good looks.

Kyouya, for a moment, was almost afraid to fully turn around. She glimpsed back to see that Hana had moved over to Tamaki, the two standing only feet away from class A-1.

"Have you seen Kyouya?" Tamaki asked, looking around the hallway. "...I figured she and I would be in the same class together this year."

"Oh," Hana stated, and she turned slightly, pointing directly towards Kyouya. "She's right there."

_Right there._

Tamaki looked away from Hana, just as Kyouya turned to face her friend, dress twirling around slender legs, and newly cropped hair tickling the soft curves of her cheeks. Kyouya and Tamaki stared at each other, both locked in a stand-still across the hallway in silence.

Three.

Two.

One-

"_**AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_ Tamaki suddenly screamed, throwing his arms up into the air, satchel flying towards the ceiling. Hana practically jumped ten feet into the air, looking for all the world like a terrified house cat. Kyouya, by now, was used to Tamaki's antics, and the yongest Ootori just stared at him with a blank expression as the blond male pointed towards her. "KYOUYA? WHAT IN THE...! WHY? WHY DID YOU CUT OFF ALL OF YOUR HAIR?"

"I needed a change," Kyouya stated calmly, reaching up with one hand and gently caressing it in her palm.

"A _**CHANGE?"**_ Tamaki screeched at her. Hana had by now taken a few steps back, staring at Tamaki with a stricken expression. The satchel finally crashed to the ground beside him, flopping over one its side. Kyouya looked to it, halfway ignoring her best friend now. "BUT, BUT, BUT! BUT YOUR HAIR! IT WAS SO LONG AND BEAUTIFUL! AND THEN YOU JUST GO AND CUT IT OFF WITHOUT TELLING ME?"

Tamaki moved over to her quickly, grasping a hold of one of her hands, pulling it up to his chin with a wide, puppy-dog expression. He looked completely capable of weeping a river of endless tears. "Kyouya, why? _Whyyyyyy?"_

Hana watched the two from a few feet away, her expression unreadable. The bell for the students to start filing into class rang, and Kyouya looked to Tamaki from behind her glasses, twitching a touch. He was _insane_. How could she of forgotten how crazy he was?

"Its too late to throw a fit now, you know," Kyouya added, staring up at her best friend. "...Unless you're saying it looks bad."

"N-no, of course not!, but..." And Tamaki gasped a touch when Kyouya pulled her hand away, turning from the blond and heading inside of the classroom, ignoring his antics. Tamaki reached out for her, before trotting back a few steps, scooping up his satchel from where Hana stood in silence. He hurried in the room after her. "Ah, but, Kyouya! Kyouya!"

Kyouya rested her satchel on an empty desk; assigned seating. Tamaki looked down to her desk, before looking around. He instantly brightened. What luck! His desk was right beside Kyouya's!

"Luck is on my side today!" Tamaki stated cheerfully. Kyouya watched as he moved to his desk, setting down his own bag. "This will make things a lot easier for the both of us. Now we can pass notes in class all we want to! Oh..." Tamaki let out a small hum in happiness as he sank into his chair. "...To think! Kyouya can pass me handwritten notes! I can only imagine what they would be like; do you have some kind of special stationary? Or perhaps you write all of your notes to your school friends in blue gel pen, with scribbled in roses and hearts on the borders!" Tamaki made a flourish of his hand, putting one against his chest as he continued to weave his elaborate fantasy. "I'd be honored to receive one of these carefully, delicately written notes filled with all of your feminine charm..."

Kyouya stared at him.

"...You know Tamaki, if you could shut your mouth for just one moment, we could discuss something that's actually important." Kyouya shook her head, pulling out a folder of paperwork from her satchel. She handed it over to Tamaki. "I finished filling out the administrative paperwork for the club. Once you turn that in to the Chairman, we should be official. I've made sure everything in order." She had already done this paperwork once before. Tamaki took it, nodding to Kyouya.

"I'll turn this in right before lunch! The Host Club could be official by the end of the day!" Tamaki tucked the folder into his own bag, just as the bell rang for class. Kyouya turned away from him, just as the teacher walked in. She couldn't help but smile. Things were already well on their way... and it was just the first day.

* * *

_Lady Grey._

* * *

The first day of school was always the longest; most of the teachers mainly wanted to go over the syllabus for the year as well as get to know the students. Kyouya was glad when class was finally over, and both she and Tamaki headed to meet with the members of the Host Club.

Kyouya could help but pause in her tracks when they reached the fated room: Music Room 3. This is where everything had begun: both with the Host Club, _and _this insane genderswap adventure. Sometimes, it slipped her mind that she was really a man in some alternate, other world, especially when everyday she woke up to the reality of being a woman.

So which was the real truth?

Within Music Room 3 was just who was expecting: Honey-senpai, Mori-senpai, and both Hikaru and Kaoru, waiting for the both of them. Tamaki lifted a hand in greeting, Kyouya following just a half-step behind.

"So everyone's made it!" Tamaki declared, and a smile lit up on his face. The twins leaned against each other, looking around Music Room 3. Tamaki flourished his arms outwards to it. "This is it! This is where I've decided the club will be held. What do you think?"

"Its a music room," Both Hikaru and Kaoru answered in unison, both of their voices flat and unimpressed. Tamaki twitched a bit as Hikaru continued, "And there's nothing in it. Except, well. Music stuff."

"Well that's just it!" Tamaki stated, nodding his head firmly to the group. "This room has been unused for years, so we've been given permission to transform it into our very own club room! And think, the spot is perfect! Its secluded and discreet. Its quiet and roomy enough for our beautiful, lovely guests! And, we can move all of the instruments into one of the storage closets, and we'll fill it with plenty of pleasing things for our clients! Think about it!" And Tamaki started moving around the room, gesturing to different parts. "We can but a complete seating area right here! A lavish couch and matching chairs, and a coffee table! And over here, we can set up several tables, as if in a bistro!"

Where Kyouya stood, the young woman was already taking notes. Sometime, she had managed to pull out a black leather notebook, scribbling down notes in pen. Honey slowly looked away from Tamaki and over to Kyouya, who remained working in silence as Tamaki continued.

"-And we'll even provide tea! That way, we can sit and converse with the ladies and offer our best services. Oh! And we can't forget-"

"Ummm, Tamakiiii?" Honey finally let out. The older student caught Tamaki's attention, and with a small finger, Honey pointed to Kyouya, who was standing quietly off to the side. "...Speaking of not forgetting, um... who is she?"

"Yeaaaah..." Hikaru and Kaorau slowly trailed off, both of their amber-colored eyes sliding over to look at Kyouya. Kaoru pointed a finger to Kyouya. "...I thought this was suppose to be a _Host _Club. What's a _girl _doing here?"

Kyouya snapped the book closed with a quick tap of her fingers. The youngest Ootori tucked the leather binder underneath one arm, reaching up and adjusting her glasses properly back on her beautiful face.

"My name is Kyouya Ootori," The woman stated in a matter-of-fact tone. "And I'm the manager and officially documented co-founder of the Ouran High School Host Club." Kyouya couldn't help but smile, her eyes closing as she gave them her most calculative smile. "...A pleasure to meet you. Oh," She added. "And I advise you to not speak about me as if I'm not in the room. Not if you like your head on your shoulders, of course."

Hikaru and Kaoru stared at her with bewildered expressions. Tamaki reached out a slightly trembling hand towards Kyouya. "...K-Kyouya, lets not pick a fight on the first day, okay...?"

Kyouya looked back over to her best friend. With a hum, she brought the leather notebook up to her breasts, giving it a small hug, smiling to him.

"...Sorry, Mr. President!" Kyouya chimed to him in an uncharacteristic manner. Once could almost hear the hearts and sparkles that surrounded her voice. Tamaki's eyes snapped open, his face completely coloring red. Both Hikaru and Kaoru gasped, leaning away from the spectacle.

"_I get it! She's the puppet master who pulls the strings!"_ They both sang out. Honey giggled from where he stood beside Mori, who nodded once in affirmation. Tamaki spun to the twins, pointing to them.

"I'M NOT SOME KIND OF DUMMY!"

Ah, yes. This was _much _familiar territory. Kyouya shook her head before speaking up.

"Tamaki. I know you have big plans for the club, so..." And Kyouya managed to get the attention of Tamaki and the rest of the Host Club. "Perhaps you should spend the week with the others training them on how you want the Host Club to be run. During that time, I can oversee the club room decoration, stock on supplies, and promote the club for its grand opening."

"Wow, she's really got it all figured out," Both Hikaru and Kaoru stated, looking to Kyouya before turning to Tamaki. They leaned towards him. "Are you sure you're the boss, Boss?"

Kyouya chuckled a bit as Tamaki lamented a bit more. Finally, the half-French boy stood straight and tall, walking over to Kyouya and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"All right, Kyouya. We'll officially open for business on Wednesday! And then, in order to kick off our Host Club..." Tamaki's hand gestured towards the ceiling. "...We'll throw a grand party in the ballroom on Saturday evening! What do you think?"

"I think its a _great_ idea!" Honey piped up from his spot by Mori. Mori nodded in agreement. Kyouya reached up, pushing her glasses up on the bridge of her nose.

"Well, it does have a certain charm to it. A formal grand opening for what will be the most prestigious club at Ouran Academy..." The young woman nodded. "All right then. We'll be sure to make your vision come to light, Tamaki."

"Wonderful!" And Tamaki nodded, before going over to the other four, grasping a hold of Hikaru and Kaoru's shoulders. "Come on. We have work to do!"

Kyouya merely waved as they all exited into the second room off to the right. The young woman turned, pale yellow dress fluttering around her legs as she glanced around the room in thought.

...In reality, she knew just what to do.

* * *

Thank you for reading. **Please comment!**

**Also!** There is a**_ special gift_** for signed reviews this time around!

If you make a comment on this chapter, I will PM you links to fanart of the story if you state you would like to see some accompanying artwork.

See you next chapter!


	6. Only the Beginning

_Lady Grey_

Chapter Six: Only the Beginning

* * *

True to Tamaki's word, the Host Club held its Grand Opening on Wednesday.

Kyouya was rather proud of herself. This was, technically, her _second _grand opening, and so Kyouya knew she wouldn't be satisfied unless she drove in more clientele than the first time. For the next few days, Kyouya passed out beautiful, handcrafted invitations she had custom made and sped to the Academy. She made sure to speak to other girls, their potential clients, and with the beautiful and intelligent Kyouya Ootori seeming interested in it, the news of the Grand Opening _and _the lavish party on Saturday spread like wildfire. While in class, Kyouya spent her time half paying attention to the lesson and jotting down reminders and notes in her black notebook. Between classes, she made calls to contracting companies and interior designers to begin the immediate and quick construction of the new Ouran Host Club room; this time, she determined, it would be more grand and suitable than the set up back in the other world.

Tamaki wouldn't be able to know what to do with himself.

When Wednesday came around, both Kyouya and Tamaki excused themselves for an emergency about fifteen minutes prior to the end of class. Tamaki opened the door for her, Kyouya walking through with a swish of her pale yellow dress.

As soon as the door had closed soundly behind them...

Tamaki took off down the corridor. Kyouya watched with calm, ash-brown eyes before she smiled and shook her head.

"You're going to hurt yourself," She called after the blond, but she hurried her pace in order to make it to Music Room Three. There waiting was Mori, Honey, and the twins. Hikaru and Kaoru looked a little bored waiting, but as soon as the Club President made it there with all smiles, the glossed-over look in their eyes seemed to ease up.

"This is it!" Tamaki exclaimed, and he turned to face Kyouya who was approaching. "I've been waiting reverently to see what Kyouya's femininity has done to the place! I can only imagine," And Tamaki wrapped his arms around himself, "The splendor in which we are about to beho-"

Kyouya moved passed her best friend, unceremoniously opening the large double doors, the rest of the Host Club following.

Tamaki halted in his speech, but hurriedly moved on inside, just as awed noises came from Hikaru and Kaoru.

With the old Host Club in mind, Kyouya knew after trial and error exactly what layout would work best for their day-to-day servings. However, certain _upgrades _were needed, and the youngest Ootori took the creative liberty to make her ultimate vision come to life.

Delicate crystal chandeliers had been installed, dancing beautiful sparkles of rainbow light across the ground, where Kyouya had been sure to have a beautiful, reddish-pink runner installed of soft material. The windows had the same colored curtains, delicate gold trim accents on the hems. They were pulled back to allow light inside, which only served to make the marble floors gleam, and make the pristine French Rococo-styled dining furniture look more elegant. The furniture was of a dark wood and curvacious, with floral cushions of pink, red, and gold. The table clothes were all lace, a bouquet of fresh flowers sitting in the center; roses of varying colors. Kyouya decided that since Tamaki played the piano, they would make better use of his and the rest of the member's talents, and she placed a grand piano in the back that seemed to be a stage.

And of course, Kyouya couldn't forget the lovely sitting area reserved for the members of the Host Club when they were having talks and other meetings.

"Kyouya..." And Tamaki took a few steps further in, his royal-blue eyes lit up as he took in the room. "This is..."

"Wow Kyou-chan!" And Honey jumped up, reaching out and hugging the girl around the middle. "This is _amazing!"_ Mori nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, pretty impressive," Hikaru admitted, crossing his arms over his chest as he gazed up at a painting on the wall.

"I'll say..." Kaoru chimed in, leaning against his brother.

"Kyouya!" And once again Tamaki's voice rang out. He was still gazing out, and his body started shaking, trembling. "This is... _this is...!"_

And Tamaki swiveled in place, turning towards Kyouya. Suddenly, an array of red rose petals seemed to flutter out of nowhere, the sunlight gleaming from the windows shining down on Tamaki like a halo.

"This is everything I always _dreamed_ of! I never would have thought this place would look so lovely! You've thought of _everything _a beautiful woman could possibly want!"

"What does_ that _mean?" The twins both said in unison, tilting their heads to Tamaki. "Are you saying Kyouya isn't a beautiful woman, Mi'lord~?"

"_No_, I did_** not**_ say that, I just meant-!"

"The trigger for the roses released earlier than I planned..." Kyouya murmured to herself, not even bothering to pay attention to the antics behind her. Well, it made the place look romantic, so she supposed it was all right. There was still one more trap to release, anyway. She was originally going to save it for the farewell of the day, but she supposed it would be all right to just use it for the intro.

The bell rung for the end of classes. Tamaki's eyes lit up, and his attention turned away from the twins.

"Places, everyone! Just as we rehearsed!" He stated, hurrying towards a rather grand chair that he had ordered. The boys took their places, and Kyouya cleared her throat, holding the notebook to her.

"...I'll go greet the guests, then." She headed outside to be sure to do damage control.

"Don't let them in a _moment_ earlier!" Tamaki proclaimed ad Kyouya headed out the door. She closed it securely behind her.

Already, girls were lined up close to the door. They gave Kyouya cursory glance, wondering why she had come out of the room, but went back to chatting with one another. In just a few minutes time, the amount had doubled. Then doubled _again._

_...So my marketing strategy worked. Not surprising. _Kyouya pushed up her silver-rimmed glasses. The girls waiting in line were holding onto their beautiful invitations; not that they _needed_ them for entry, but, those particular women were on the priority seating list. The club room was only so big. First come, first serve, after all. And while the room could certainly _hold _all these women, well! There were only so many of them to go around. And, now that Kyouya wasn't a host...

"Kyouya-chan!"

Kyouya glanced over to see Hana approaching her, smiling. Kyouya turned to her; the Ootori's black hair fluttered around her cheeks.

"So this is it! Are you in line for the Host Club grand opening? Tamaki-kun is the President, isn't he?" Hana looked down the long line, then you Kyouya. "You're his friend, right? I would have thought he would have let you in early!"

"He did," Kyouya stated over the noise of the chattering girls. She opened up her leather notebook to pen something in. "...But I'm not a client. I'm the official co-founder and Vice-President."

The was a pause.

Hana blinked to Kyouya with those bright blue eyes of hers that turned heads. "...You... helped him _start _a club? But what do you _do?"_

"I manage it, of course. Funding, marketing, promotion... though Tamaki is the final decision maker." Kyouya closed her book, looking to Hana. She gave the girl a faint smile. "...Are you going to line up? You have an invitation, so you have priority seating."

"Oh!" And Hana held up her invite, touching the lace-covered card against her lips. "...Yes! I'll see you inside, I guess!" And with that, her friend scurried to get in the priority line, rushing to find some familiar faces to squeeze in with. Kyouya watched her go for a moment before glancing at her cellphone.

It was time.

"Attention! Ladies, if I may have your attention!" Kyouya, while not loud, manage to calm everyone down after a few tries. Normally she would have had people quiet by now... but... "Attention! ...All right!"

The woman bowed her head to the girls. She made sure to speak loud and clear so everyone could hear her.

"Thank you for attending the Grand Opening of the Ouran High School Host Club. Your Hosts are ready and waiting to serve you inside! Every Princess shall get a chance to speak with one of our handsome, available members, so please. I ask that you remain patient! We will be letting people in a few at a time to be seated. Before you go inside, please give me your name, birthday, and class." Kyouya turned to a clean sheet of paper.

"And without further delay... may I present to you... the Ouran Host Club."

Kyouya opened the double doors. As she did, a fluttering of rose petals and a sweet scent cascaded down the hallway, passing her as she stepped to the side for the women to look within. Immediately, she was met with awed noises, and before the girls were each of her friends: Mori, Honey, Hikaru, Kaoru, and of course, the Prince of Ouran Academy himself, Tamaki.

They all smiled pleasantly to the crowd outside; the sun was shining down on them, as if the gods themselves bestowed their blessings upon the beautiful group of men.

"_Welcome, Princesses,"_ They all chanted in unison, and instantly there was a scream from all the women. Kyouya wasn't facing them, instead staring at their clients. She had seen that routine enough times to know it by heart. She started instantly taking down names, girls practically shouting over each other to hurry and get inside.

...And this was only the beginning.

* * *

_Lady Grey_

* * *

"Our first day of business was a huge success!"

Tamaki sat proudly on the couch in Music Room 3. After the girls had left for the day, the Host Club sat having drinks of their own. Honey was leaning against Mori, holding his stuffed plush Usa-chan to him as he rubbed one eye sleepily. Against Hikaru, Kaoru looked a little bushed himself, his pristine white-and-gold middle school uniform crinkled in between he and his brother.

Kyouya glanced over to Tamaki, who was positively beaming. Kyouya was busy with her notebook and calculator, running a few numbers. Tamaki turned to her. "And Kyouya! What brilliant thinking, scheduling that impromptu photoshoot for us yesterday. All of our prints sold completely out, and I felt like a movie star, signing my autograph..."

"The Boss totally hammed it up," Hikaru muttered, looking over at the blond who was lost in his own celebrity fantasy. Kaoru sat up a bit straighter, picking up his tea.

"So did you."

"Did not."

"Did so."

"Did not!"

"By the way, Kyouya," Kaoru stated, ignoring his brother, who fumed beside him. "...How much did you sell all of those pictures for?"

"Well, the wallet-sized pictures sold for ten thousand yen each, and th photographs for fifteen thousand..." The beautiful woman sat primly in her chair, the ruffles of her pale-yellow dress moving just the faintest as she thumped her calculator against her lap with one hand, simultaneously writing down some remaining figures. "...And I was doing a promotion of purchasing three pictures of mix-and-matched sizes for a total of thirty thousand..."

The boys stared to her as she finally came up with the figure. Kyouya looked up to them.

"Our total comes to one million, one-hundred and twenty thousand yen."

"Niiiiice~" The twins both stated, giving Kyouya a thumbs up. Kyouya smirked a bit, pushing her silver-rimmed glasses up her nose.

Honey leaned a little closer to Kyouya. "Wow, Kyou-chan! You're really good at this!"

"Yeah." Mori stated, nodding. Honey's bright brown eyes seemed to gleam.

"What else do you have planned for the Host Club?"

Tamaki lowered his cup of tea he had started drinking, looking to Honey. The twins nodded as well to Kyouya.

"Yeah, Kyouya, what else do you have planned for us?"

Tamaki's cup and saucer suddenly clattered to the table. The group looked over to the half-French boy, who was gazing to them with a wide-eyed expression.

"Y-you mean..." Tamaki began, "...You're all... really going to stay?"

"Of course!" Honey exclaimed, tossing Usa-chan into the air and catching the plush toy. "This is a lot of fun!" Mori nodded in agreement. Wherever Honey went, he did. Hikaru and Kaoru turned, looking at each other, before shrugging.

"We got nothing better to do," They both stated together. Tamaki's gaze swiveled to Kyouya.

Kyouya stared at Tamaki with a blank expression. However, it finally softened to the faintest of smiles.

"...It would be a waste of an investment to back out now," The young woman stated. "...Besides, I do have plans, you know. A website the girls can check from their phones or computers at home. An auction site... digital downloads like desktop wallpapers and Host Club voicemail greetings..." Kyouya put the end of the pen to her lips in thought. Since she would have a lot more free time, not having to worry about serving guests, she could even start a sort of blog on the site as well...

"Theeeeere she goes..." The twin stated slowly.

Tamaki, however, was beaming.

* * *

_Lady Grey_

* * *

Thursday proved to be an interesting day.

For the most part, Kyouya was locked in thought of planning for the Grand Opening party to Tamaki's specifications: the boy had written her a note in class that listed everything he wanted.

_The clean up crew is going to have a field day with all of the confetti Tamaki wants me to order. _Kyouya shook her head a bit. She spared a glance at the board ahead, before looking back down her work, which had already been completed. She would fall behind if she was left with idle hands... perhaps she should order some grad-level workbooks on the internet later...

Because she was so into her work, Kyouya barely noticed that most of the girls were ignoring her. At least, it didn't occur to her until she walked up to a few girls before lunch, inquiring if they were still booked for the Grand Opening Party Saturday evening.

"Uh, yeah," The lead girl stated, looking Kyouya over for a moment before she smiled prettily, though there was a hint of nervousness to her. "Um, we'll just ask Honey-senpai about it later though, okay?"

"...If you insist," Kyouya answered carefully, allowing them to make their escape. What was that all about? The young woman watched as they headed off to the lunch room, before deciding to follow suit. Her black shoes clicked across the floor, her stride sure.

When she arrived to the lunchroom, her gaze immediately sought out where Tamaki was. Kyouya picked up her tray of food, walking over towards the blond. As usual, he was surrounded by women, but even more so than usual.

It wasn't surprising.

"The Host Club was amazing, Tamaki-senpai!" One girl with red hair exclaimed. Her friends cooed and nodded in agreement, gazing up towards the handsome blond.

Tamaki offered a faint laugh. "I'm glad you princesses enjoyed it! I hope you'll be attending our grand opening ball. Its open to everyone who wishes to attend!"

"We do have a dress code, however," Kyouya spoke up as she approached. Tamaki and the rest of the group looked over. The blond's expression brightened, however, the girls seems to glance at one another at Kyouya's approach. Kyouya slowed down, pausing a few steps away from Tamaki. "...Though I'm sure you will all adhere to it."

"Of course," The girls replied, and they started to walk past Kyouya to head to their table. The last bit, however, was said quietly, as if they didn't want Tamaki to overhear them. "...Wouldn't want to look like tramps after all, right?"

They giggled, scuttling off. Kyouya glimpsed back after them, but Tamaki walked over, a bright smile on his face.

"Ready to eat?"

Kyouya's ash-brown eyes landed on him. "Of course."

But even as the two headed to their lunch table...

...Not all was as it seemed.

* * *

Thank you for reading!

The next chapter is a Tamaki Special chapter, which will take place in via Tamaki's perspective! So far, this story has been following our hero(?)ine, Kyouya... but what happens when you take the spotlight off our genderbent beau and turn it on her French counterpart?!

Stay tuned, and **please review**! I love hearing everyone's thoughts and opinions on this story. It really keeps me going!


	7. SPECIAL! Prince Tamaki Saves the Day!

_Lady Grey_

Chapter Seven: SPECIAL! Prince Tamaki Saves the Day!

Sorry for the wait! This special, extra-long chapter revolves around the Prince of Ouran himself, Tamaki Suoh!

* * *

After class ended that Thursday, Tamaki and Kyouya parted ways after speaking more about the grand party they were going to be hosting. Ah, Tamaki was in a flurry of splendor! He couldn't wait to get off the ground with the celebration and truly open the doors of the Host Club to all the beautiful women in Ouran Academy. Truly, it was a good idea on his end to invite Kyouya into the mix. While he, of course, had been rather wary of allowing a woman into the midst, it proved to be a perfect idea! There was something about Kyouya that made everything seem... right.

The blond headed down the stone staircase, satchel tucked under his arm. There was a smile on his face as he walked under the afternoon sun, the pale blue color of the Ouran High School Division blazer a beacon in the light. Each step was sure as he headed towards the front to catch his car back to the second estate.

"Ah, Kyouya's feminine touch was just the thing our Host Club needed...!" Tamaki said to himself as he made his way out of the school. The young Frenchman waved leisurely to the many young women whom now said hello to him, getting closer to the driveway in which the cars pulled up at. "She makes the perfect manager..."

As he neared the bottom, two voices simultaneously called out to him.

"_Hey, Boss~"_

Tamaki glanced to the side, only to see Hikaru and Kaoru, both in their white-and-gold middle school division uniforms. They approached him, walking wide by side, satchels tucked into their arms. The blond wondered for a moment if they were up to anything, but smiled nonetheless.

"Hello," He greeted, and the twin slowed to a stop. "Heading home you two?"

"Yeah," Hikaru answered, and the two looked to each other, before he continued, "We wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Tamaki asked, giving them this full attention. "Its not about the club, is it?"

"Nooot exactly," Kaoru let out, and Hikaru tagged onto his twin's statement.

"Its about Kyouya."

At his best friend's name, Tamaki's interest was piqued. His royal-blue gaze stared at the two curiously, before a slow smile worked its way onto his face.

"Hmmm~?" Tamaki let out, eying the two with a mischievous look. "It can't be that after one day under Kyouya's watchful, intelligent gaze that you've fallen for her? Ahhhh~" And he leaned back, puffing his chest out. "I'm sorry, little boys, but Kyouya's precious heart is protected by me, the Prince of the Host Club! I can't just let any old boy-"

"_That's not it at all." _The two chorused bluntly, and Tamaki made a noise.

"I don't know if you've noticed," Hikaru started,

"But I think Kyouya's being bullied," Kaoru finished.

"What?!" Tamaki exclaimed, looking between the two of them. "...But, but that's impossible! Kyouya's on good terms with all the girls here at Ouran! I can't even think of a single one that would wish anything ill on her!"

"Oh yeah?" Hikaru let out, and Kaoru was already busy tapping his thumb against the touch screen of his smart phone. The young twin held it out towards Tamaki, and the Frenchman leaned forward to get a better look. It was a snapshot of Kyouya in the hallway, pulling stuff out of a trashcan.

Tamaki blinked at it. "Why Is Kyouya digging around in a _trashcan?"_

"Because she was digging out the contents of her satchel," Hikaru stated dryly, Kaoru pulling the phone away. "I saw a group of girls dumping stuff into it, and we were going to ignore it..."

"But then we saw Kyouya," And Kaoru shrugged. "So we thought we should come and tell you._ You're_ her friend, yeah?"

The blond stared at the twins with an incredulous look on his face. He couldn't believe it! Kyouya! Being bullied! He didn't know the circumstances, but...!

"Gentlemen!" Tamaki exclaimed out of nowhere, "We're going to _find out who did this, _and put an end to it! No one picks on a lady and gets away with it! Not even other ladies!" Tamaki's hand curled into a valorous fist, rising it upwards in the air, level with his face as he gaze a determined stare. "No one picks on _our co-founder and gets away with it! _I won't _stand _for this injustice!"

"You know she's gonna just tell you to butt out of it if you get in her way," Kaoru commented, and Hikaru nodded in agreement, giving the blond a look.

"Yeah, Boss. Besides, what can _you_ do about it?"

"I don't know," And from beside Tamaki, the Suoh vehicle pulled up. "But I have to try! So tomorrow!" And he pointed to the twins. "Meet me right here, bright and early before school starts! We'll have to arrive before Kyouya to see just what's going on!"

The two redheads looked to one another, before shrugging. This might end up being interesting. "Okay."

"I'm off then!" Tamaki waved, before stepping into the car, the driver closing the door after him. After conversing with him for a bit about his school day, the blond lapsed into contemplative silence.

Kyouya was being bullied. It was almost hard to believe, but he knew the young woman was usually tight-lipped about matters concerning her. Still... it kind of hurt that she didn't come to him. Weren't they best friends? Maybe she was ashamed she was being picked on! Tamaki knew Kyouya had a certain sort of pride to her. And, well, he _was _a boy and she a girl. Perhaps she saw it as a womanly issue that he needed to keep out of.

_Still! Kyouya shouldn't have to suffer like this! _The young Frenchman was determined to find out the cause of this and put an end to it. There was no need to be harsh about it, he supposed. As long as he and the twins found a way to nip it in the bud, as it were.

Tamaki felt pretty confident in his plan as they headed to the second estate.

* * *

_Lady Grey._

* * *

The next day, just as planned, Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kaoru arrived early to scope things out.

Tamaki's back was pressed firmly against a pillar of the school, attempting to blend in while Hikaru and Kaoru walked casually behind in their middle-school attire. A few girls here and there would spot them, wondering exactly what the three were up to. Were they playing a game?

"Okay, Hikaru!" And Tamaki pointed towards the twins. "I've devised a plan!"

"I can't wait to hear this one..." Hikaru let out, tone dry, and Kaoru snickered a bit beside him.

Tamaki's royal blue eyes shot them a look. "Hmph! Anyway, Hikaru, go to the trashcan and peek in! Pretend to be looking for something! If girls come up and ask, tell them that you gave Kyouya something important yesterday, and you heard her bag got dumped in here!"

"Hey, that's not a bad idea..." Kaoru stated. He looked to his twin, who merely shrugged.

"Okay. Whatever you say." And Hikaru headed over to the trashcan

"Find out whatever you can!" Tamaki hissed to him as he walked off. Kaoru moved in closer to Tamaki, and the two glanced to each other for a moment before looking out, watching Hikaru from afar.

The older of the twins stationed himself by the trashcan. Hikaru peered in, hands jammed in the pockets of his white pants. On cue, a couple of girls made their way over to Hikaru.

"Um..." And they moved over to him. "...Hitachiin-kun, what are you doing?"

Tamaki instantly brightened.

"Its working!" The blond proclaimed from beside Kaoru.

And Hikaru spun to the girls, a scowl on his face. Lightning crackled behind him, and both girls froze in place with stunned expressions.

"Its none of your_ business."_ Hikaru snapped out.

"..." Tamaki stared with a priceless expression on his face. Kaoru's was completely straight as he watched his brother. The blond pointed as the girls apologized to Hikaru and scuttled away, the redhead looking back into the trashcan. "Wh-wh-what in the world was _that?!"_

Kaoru shook his head. "Hikaru's not very good with people."

"WHAT KIND OF HOST ARE YOU?!" Tamaki screamed from behind the pole, and Hikaru's head snapped over to him, shouting from by the trashcan.

"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!"

"WHAT, NO, YOU SHUT UP YOU CRAZY TWIN!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING CRAZY YOU DUMBASS BLOND-"

"Thiiiiis isn't going to go anywhere..." Kaoru let out, and he moved away from Tamaki, over to his twin. He put a hand on Hikaru's shoulder, the older brother looking to Kaoru. "Let me try, Hikaru."

"Fine, do what you want," Hikaru let out, rolling his eyes and heading back to Tamaki. "This is a stupid idea, anyway."

Kaoru watched the two for a moment, Tamaki and Hikaru bickering at each other. The two drew silent, however, once a girl started to approach from the hall, wearing a high school uniform. Kaoru's gaze slid back to the trashcan, and, peering inside, he slapped on the most worried expression on his face...

...And started sniffling.

The girl, a young brunette, paused when she saw the cute, sniffling boy at the end of the hall. She walked right over to him, looking over Kaoru worriedly. She put a hand to her mouth. "Oh dear... oh, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Kaoru turned a watery gaze on her.

"Neesan," He spoke, upping the cute factor. "I-I... something horrible happened..."

The girl looked alarmed. "What is it?"

Tamaki and Hikaru watched the scene with wide eyes.

"Its just..." And Kaoru swallowed. "...I-I asked _Ootori-chan_ to watch something important for me... b-but... s-someone threw her bag into the trash..." He sniffled. "...I-it was important...! It was something for my twin, Hikaru...

"Wh-what if I never find it...! H-he'll hate me...! And I-I looked all in the trash and couldn't find it...! I need to find out who did it...! Wh-what if... _what if they took it_...?"

_OH MY GOD HE'S GOOD. _Tamaki and Hikaru watched the scenario unfold before their eyes. The girl before Kaoru was trying to calm him down as he "pulled-a-Honey" as it were, attempting to use his twin to gain sympathy from the older girl. Hikaru put a hand to his chest, standing.

"K-Kaoru!" Hikaru started to proclaim, "It doesn't matter! YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOOK FORasdfjkl-" And Tamaki tackled the redhead down, hand clasping over his mouth as they rolled back behind the pillar, kicking and screaming. The girl happened to look over for a moment, but upon seeing nothing, returned her gaze to Kaoru.

Tamaki held his hand over Hikaru's mouth, one leg twisted awkwardly around the younger male's body. _"He's just faking, remember?!"_ The blond hissed to his new friend.

Kaoru eventually returned to the duo, lifting a brow towards them for a moment. What a couple of weirdos...

"Did you find anything?" Tamaki instantly asked, releasing Hikaru from his grip.

"Not really." Kaoru shrugged a shoulder, and his twin rejoined him, the two standing side-by-side. "...In fact, she seemed pretty hush-hush about it. Which isn't good."

"Yeah, that must mean a _lot _of girls are in on it," Hikaru added. "...Or might be forced not to say anything."

"So that means we have to find the Queen Bee of this whole thing. If we stop her, Kyouya probably won't be harassed anymore."

Tamaki looked between the two of them. The Prince of Ouran turned away, placing a hand on his heart. "...So our entire female population is being held captive by this Queen...! And all of this to harass Kyouya?! I don't understand! She's perfectly nice! She's wonderful! Beautiful!"

"_I don't think nice is the way to put it, Boss..."_ The two chimed. They were interrupted, however, by two approaching young women, and a familiar voice.

"...What are you three doing here so early?"

Tamaki looked up to see both Kyouya and Hana standing side-by-side, walking towards the high school division classrooms. They were both carrying a pile of papers in their arms. Hana was looking towards all three of them with her bright blue eyes locked in a happy expression. Kyouya, on the other hand, was staring with a gaze that demanded an explanation.

And Tamaki wasn't going to give it to her.

"Oh! Good morning, Kyouya! Good morning, Hana!" Tamaki greeted the two pretty girls with enthusiasm, and a trail of sparkles followed him as he ditched the twins, drawing near. Hikaru and Kaoru took this time to slip into the background, Tamaki looking between the two girls.

"Good morning, Tamaki-kun!" Hana greeted back, a rosy blush to her cheeks. "How are you this morning?"

"Wonderful, especially when being greeted by such beautiful ladies," The Frenchman spoke. Kyouya's ash-brown gaze twitched under one eye.

"_Too_ wonderful, for it being this early." Tamaki wasn't sure why Kyouya was always so cranky in the morning. He wondered if she had low-blood pressure...! That would explain it! Tamaki waved off the callous retort.

"Nonsense. Ah, Kyouya, these papers must be rather heavy. Let me take them, hm?" Before Kyouya could say anything, Tamaki had lifted them out of her hands. "And allow me to walk the two of you to the classrooms! Hana, your hair is looking especially radiant today!"

Hana, who had been watching the two for a moment in quiet contemplation, suddenly perked up with Tamaki mention her hair, and beamed up at him. The trio started to walk away, heading down the hall as Hana picked up the conversation. The twins, on the other hand...

Hikaru's arm slid out, wrapping around his brother's shoulders.

"Hey."

"Yeah?" And Kaoru's arm slipped around Hikaru's waist.

"That girl."

"Mm-hm. You're thinking the same, aren't you?"

"Hana, huh..." And Hikaru pulled his twin close, their lips almost touching. "...I think I got an idea of how to lure the Queen Bee from the flower. But I'll need your help."

"Hikaru, you know I'll always help you." The two headed towards their own classrooms.

"Then we start by utilizing Mi'Lord again, okay?" The twins began to discuss their plan, disappearing deeper into the halls of Ouran Academy.

* * *

_Lady Grey._

* * *

Both Kyouya and Hana looked up at Tamaki from where they spoke near the dining hall.

"A dress?" Kyouya repeated, her ash-brown eyes holding an inquisitive look. Tamaki, on the other hand, was beaming with pride, as if he was retelling the best idea in the entire world.

"Of course! You'll need one for the grand opening tomorrow, and I know you said you have a hard time picking out clothes!" Which Tamaki thought was utterly adorable, Kyouya not being able to fully match clothing and having to pick out things she saw in magazines. "But I thought ahead and already have one picked out for you!"

"Without consulting me...?" Kyouya asked, tone dry. Hana covered her lips with a dainty hand, trying not to giggle.

"I know you, Kyouya! I made sure to pick a dress you'll look _amazing _in! With the help of the twins, of course!" Okay, so maybe they picked it out entirely, but like he was going to look bad in front of his number-one lady! Tamaki gave her a wink. "You'll be the best dressed woman at the ball! Like a true Princess!"

"I suppose if Hikaru and Kaoru helped you, it should be fine," Kyouya spoke, crossing her arms as she gazed to Tamaki. Tamaki was thrilled to hear it. He had a feeling that Kyouya trusted the twin's judgment, considering their mother was a famous fashion designer. The Host Club President smiled to Kyouya, nodding.

"We're having it delivered to the school! We'll have it waiting for you in the club room with your name on it!" Tamaki proclaimed.

"All right, then." Kyouya pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. Tamaki's gaze turned to Hana.

"Will you be attending, Hana?" Tamaki asked her, giving Kyouya's friend a winning smile. Hana instantly perked up, and a hand twirled at the ends of her long, luxurious hair.

"Of course!" She chirped happily, and wide smile lit up her face, turning Hana's cheeks rosy. "I'm Kyouya's best friend, after all...! And I've known Tamaki-kun ever since he transferred to Ouran Academy!" Hana tilted her head, blue eyes turned on the handsome blond. "...I would love to be able to have a dance with you, Tamaki-kun."

And the Prince only smiled.

"Certainly, Princess," The first year boy agreed. "I would enjoy nothing more." Tamaki looked over to Kyouya. "Will you be joining us for lunch?"

"I was waiting for you," Kyouya spoke, and she looked to the shorter Hana, waving a touch to her. "I'll speak to you after school. You still want to go and pick out a dress together?"

"_Actually,"_ Hana replied, taking a step back from the pair. "...Now that you have your dress... I can go with some other girls." She smiled, her pink lips quirking up at the ends. "I can't _wait_ to see what you wear, Kyouya. You and the Host Club will paint the town red!"

"Its our job to bring a smile to every princess here at Ouran," Tamaki replied arily, as if reciting lines from a play. Hana waved and walked off, Tamaki and Kyouya collecting their food before heading to the lunch table to join the rest of the club members.

Hikaru and Kaoru looked to them as they approached. Tamaki nodded firmly to them, once. The twins took this as a good sign, and they resumed eating. Tamaki took a seat by Kyouya, and the Honey instantly began to engage the young woman in conversation. Tamaki cut into his food, thinking to himself.

_...Do Hikaru and Kaoru really think their plan will work...? _Tamaki was preoccupied with thought n behalf of his friend Kyouya. The opening ceremony had taken a backseat in his mind, but at least he knew the calculative Ootori would pick up any slack if he failed to deliver. Still... there were so many things on he and Kyouya's plate! _As long as the bullying stops and we find who's doing it..._

_...I'll do whatever it takes!_

That was the mantra Tamaki repeated to himself for the rest of the day.

But tomorrow, he would have a whole new set of challenges to worry about. The grand party for the Ouran High School Host Club.

* * *

_Lady Grey._

* * *

Saturday flew by. The entire school was buzzing about the grand opening party for the Ouran High School Host Club. The ballroom where school functions were usually held was closed off for the day in order for preparations to take place. Tamaki found himself attempting to glue his posterior to the seat, wanting to save what it looked like as a surprise for himself. Kyouya, on the other hand, would leave during breaks in order to check on the ballroom.

"How does everything look?" Tamaki asked every time Kyouya reappeared.

"Everything is fine," The girl would respond. "If you worry too much over it, you'll turn your hair grey before the party."

A prince didn't have grey hairs! Tamaki's hands flew up to his head, feeling it out, as if he could detect hair color by touch alone. He noticed the faint smile that crept up on Kyouya's face. He rather liked that smile.

By the time classes ended, people were heading home. Many girls rushed home in preparation for the dance. While Kyouya busied herself in the ballroom, Tamaki hurried along the halls to meet up with Hikaru and Kaoru.

His journey took him into the Audio/Visual room.

"I'm here," Tamaki announced, peeking inside. Hikaru was busy fiddling with some controls, Kaoru looking back with a wave. "Do you really think anything will come of it?"

"Mori-senpai just dropped off the dress," Kaoru stated, pointing to the computer screen. Tamaki peered to it. He could see into Music Room 3 perfectly!

"You set cameras up in the club room? _Why?"_ Tamaki asked.

"This way, we'll be sure to catch anyone who messes with the dress," Hikaru stated, typing away on the computer. "...If Kyouya's being targeted by who I _think _she is... they'll do anything to ruin that dress. Its important for Kyouya for the party."

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah, Kyouya would look pretty bad if she just up and came to the party in her school uniform. She wouldn't have time to run off and grab another dress."

"So this is what you devils were planning...!" Tamaki understood clearly now. But he didn't have time to wait around for the dress to be ruined or not. He had a party to prepare for! "I geuss we can count on no one coming in here. I have to go downstairs and prepare for the party! My suit is waiting for me in the boy's changing room." He looked between them. "...What about you two?"

"_We got it,"_ They both spoke simultaneously, and pointed over to a wall in the A/V room. There sat in plastic coat wrapping two perfectly pressed, matching suits, and a box beneath them which most likely held their shoes and whatever else they needed. _"We'll be in here, Mi'lord."_

Tamaki nodded to them. "Call me if anything happens! I need to go and help out everyone else." And with that, the prince of the Ouran Academy scuttled out of the room.

After getting dressed in his pristine, white suit, Tamaki hurried off of the ballroom. When he entered, his royal blue eyes lit up, a smile sliding onto his face.

Everything looked magnificent! The setting sun that poured through the windows made the chandeliers on the ceiling glitter over the marble floor. A full on, professional orchestra was warming up in the corner, the sound of violin strings singing echoing off of the walls. The catering company was setting up the tables and food, and the last of the decorations were going up. Just as Tamaki wanted! Beautiful cloth draping over the stage in the back! Runners down the stairs from the balcony! Floral and silk wraps along the bannisters! An eye-popping bouquet of roses on every table! And in the midst of all the activity, was one busy Kyouya Ootori, still in her school uniform. Her black leather folder was opened, jotting down notes. Her smartphone was tucked under her cheek and cradling in her shoulder. Every so often, she was forced to look up and speak to one of the staff members. A point there. A nod here.

Tamaki stood at the door, watching her work in silence for a moment. Here she was, being hassled at school, being pushed at home... and still, Kyouya was working diligently on something that perhaps should have been _his _job, and effortlessly, as if she had done it all of her life. She still managed to always make time for his silly requests, and still maintained the highest grades in their class.

How did she do it?

Could any other woman be _that amazing...?_

"Kyouya!" Tamaki finally called out to her, lifting a hand. The Ootori looked away from the construction of the party as Tamaki approached. "Everything looks _spectacular!_ Its as if you knew exactly what I was envisioning!"

"After knowing you for as long as I have, its not hard," The girl spoke, her ash-brown eyes looking back down to her notebook.

"Where are Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai?" Tamaki inquired, looking round the ballroom.

"They left just before you came in here to change," Kyouya stated.

"You should change, too," Tamaki replied, nodding his head. "...I can keep an eye on things here!"

Kyouya's lips quirked downwards, giving him an unsure look. "...In all honesty, I would rather wait until Mori-senpai and Honey-senpai return. Leaving you alone doesn't sound like the best idea."

"Are you saying you don't trust me, Kyouya?"

"I'm merely stating that you're..." Kyouya didn't get to finish. Tamaki's cellphone started buzzing in his pants. Both of them glanced down to the blond's pocket, and the club president began to fish it out. "...I'll let you take that call."

Tamaki answered just as Kyouya turned away, walking off to check on the buffet being set out. It was the twins. "Hello?"

"Boss," Hikaru drawled out, "You _got _to come to the A/V room! Now!"

"Did you find something?!" Tamaki exclaimed.

"Just get_ up _here!"

"Right!" Tamaki hung the phone up. He glanced to Kyouya, but she was on the other side of the room. Knowing that Mori and Honey would be back soon, the blond took off, running out of the room and down the hallway, back up the stairs to meet up with Hikaru and Kaoru.

It was just as Tamaki had left, that Mori and Honey returned to the room. Kyouya looked over to them, Honey bouncing happily over towards the girl.

"Kyou-chan!" Honey exclaimed, swinging around Usa-chan. The bunny had a cute bowtie around its neck. "Takashi and I are done changing!" Behind him, Mori strode up in a sharp, charcoal-colored suit, nodding in agreement to Honey's statement.

"Good." Kyouya closed her folder. "Our royal idiot ran off, and the guests will be arriving in less than an hour. Contact him, will you?" She needed to get changed for this shindig...maybe even put on a little makeup, she supposed. Kyouya exited the room, Honey and Mori watching her head off.

Honey glimpsed up to Mori.

"...Do you think Kyou-chan will be all right?" The blond boy asked, a pout in his voice.

Mori's dark eyes glanced down to Honey. He nodded. "...Yeah." She should be fine. At least... he hoped so, anyway.

Kyouya could see cars already starting to pull up outside. She knew there would be guests that would arrive early. The young woman was glad that Honey and Mori had appeared; surely they would be able to get a hold of Tamaki and the twins. They had a grand opening to attend!

The halls were oddly quiet, but it was now officially night, and shadows crept along the floor as Kyouya made her way towards Music Room 3. She arrived at the double doors, opening them, wondering just want kind of dress Tamaki and the twins had in mind for her. Kyouya took a step inside the dark room. Surely, it wasn't something completely-

_Squish._

Kyouya's foot landed in something wet. It was dark, but the open windows of the Host Club room allowed her to see the slick substance that now stained the carpet. Her ash-brown eyes snapped open, wide behind the glasses.

Paint.

Sloppy, splattering streaks of pain danced across the floor to the other side of the room where the dress hung. Kyouya looked up, only to see the beautiful, fluffy baby-blue gown scorched with scars of paint. And not just any kind of paint.

_Red paint._

Kyouya's stunned expression slowly morphed into nothingness. Her lips pressed together in a thin line, displeased. She walked forward, looking over the destroyed dress with a scrutinizing gaze. Dammit. _Dammit! _Kyouya knew exactly what happened, no question about it: the bullying she had witnessed in the past few days had gone too far. Some of the girls in school must have did this.

...But who?

Admittedly, Kyouya thought this was, indeed, the perfect sort of revenge for... whatever she did. She paused before the gown, lifting a hand up and touching the delicate fabric that glittered in the moonlight that pushed past the curtains...This was supposed to be her dress for the event...

Kyouya wasn't sure what to feel. But even though her face remained passive, she could feel a strange well building up inside of her. The bottom of her lip trembled. Her had gripped the destroyed, paint-splattered dress before her.

Why did this happen to her?

...Why did everything have to be like this?

"Hey, Kyouya!"

Kyouya started, rounding quickly as she released the fluffy princess dress. Behind her were Hikaru and Kaoru, grinning like the Cheshire cats they were in some other life. Hikaru held a rather hefty metal makeup case in his grip, and Kaoru a dress sleeve draped over both of his arms. The two were dressed in matching outfits of dark chocolate brown suits with a very faint brown striping through them. Typical twin behavior.

"We've come to save you!" Kaoru chirped.

"Be grateful," Hikaru chimed in afterwards.

Kyouya looked to both of them with a shocked expression for a moment. She couldn't help but let the smallest smile quirk up on her face.

"...It will be hard, but I'll try to be," Kyouya stated. Hikaru and Kaoru merely grinned as they headed towards her quickly. They had a party to get to, after all.

* * *

_Lady Grey._

* * *

The grand opening party was in full force. There were a multitude of girls from Ouran there, all dressed in their finest ball gowns in order to impress the hosts. For the most part, they were all talking to one another, and a few boys whom had heard to the event came along too. There were a few couples dancing, some girls chatting animatedly to one another, but regardless, all were having fun.

Except one.

Hana was looking around the room, sitting at a table with a group of friends whom had come along with her to the Host Club opening event. The pretty girl was dressed in an astonishing pink gown, large and fluffy, with glittering fringe and big sash that held it over one shoulder in a bow. Her long black hair was down, a small tiara in the center of her head. She looked like a true princess.

"Kyouya-chan isn't here..." One of the girls commented, looking around the lavish ballroom.

Hana's blue eyes blinked once, slowly in boredom. Her arms were crossed over her stomach as she sat prim in her chair.

"She's not," The girl lamented. "...I was hoping she would be here."

Tamaki walked over towards the group, dressed sharp in his white tuxedo. Hana looked up towards him. If she could straighten up more in her seat, she did.

"Tamaki-kun," Hana greeted. Before her, Tamaki swept her a bow at the waist.

"Hello, Princess," Tamaki stated, and as always a very charming smile rose on his celebrity features. He straightened, looking all for the world like a handsome prince whom had come to the aid of a lady. The half French-and-Japanese man held out his hand towards Hana. "Would you care for a dance?"

From around Hana, the sound of excited squeals echoed around the ballroom. Several girls looked over with jealous expressions on their faces as the Prince of Ouran High School extended his hand towards the blue-eyed beauty. Hana only stared in shock.

Her expression righted itself, and a blush ran across her cheeks. Hana reached out, resting her delicate, tiny hand in Tamaki's. She rose from her seat, and a beautiful, fairy-tale flutter of pink fabric followed as they made their way towards the dance floor.

The swell of the live orchestra rolled off the ceiling and walls as the two began to dance. Hana's hair moved in a wave of light that sparkled from the chandeliers that hung from the roof. Tamaki's own golden locks fluttered over his eyes, his royal blues looking down into Hana's own aquamarines.

They were in perfect step.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Tamaki asked conversationally, and Hana smiled up at him.

"I am now," She replied, feeling coy.

Tamaki swung her once over the dance floor. "I'm glad... though, honestly I'm surprised. Normally you would be hanging around Kyouya at these sort of things, right? Aren't you her best friend?"

Hana's eyes glimpsed up to him.

"She's not here," The girl answered, moving along with Tamaki. "She's nowhere to be found."

There was a pause.

"Do you know what could have happened to her?" The Prince asked.

And Hana answered, without skipping a beat.

"Not at all."

The lights in the ballroom shut off.

There were sudden screams that ripped through the air, which only made more screams follow suit as the guests started to panic. Hana let out a loud gasp, throwing herself against Tamaki's chest in fright.  
The blond prince rested a gentle hand on the back of her head.

"Don't panic," Tamaki stated, his gentle voice rolling into Hana's ear over the fading shouts and screams from the crowd. _"...Not now."_

A bright lights shot on at the front, just as a large projector screen rolled down in front of the crowd, covering almost the entire back wall. A projector shuttered light out for a few seconds before a bright stream centered itself, showing an image of Music Room 3 in the quiet early night. Several students turned to look at the screen, their curious questions murmuring across the floor. Hana pushed away from Tamaki slowly, her eyes looking towards the screen with a confused expression.

There was a flicker of a timestamp on the upper corner of the screen; it was an hour or so before the party. The doors to Music Room 3 opened, casting a bright light over the light blue party dress that hung at the back of the room. At the door, several shadows presented themselves, following by a series of giggles.

The entire floor drew silent as the video unfolded.

It was then that the multiple shadows moved, as one. A tittering of giggles and malicious laughter followed as they drew near, and in the video, finally several girls dressed in beautiful ball gowns appeared in the feed, all of them carrying heavy buckets of paint.

Hana's face stilled. Her blue eyes watched helplessly as the girls in the video wrenched open the cans of paint, and proceeded with laughter to smear the expensive designer gown in vicious red slashes. Behind her at the table Hana was sitting at, the girls started hiding their faces, averting their eyes quickly and trying to leave the ballroom without being seen.

The video feed focused as the cans were dropped to the floor, laughter ringing along the walls of Music Room 3. The girls in the video turned to run off, screeching and giggling the whole way about their mischievous deed.

But one girl in a lovely, pink dress stayed behind, looking up and at the carnage that was displayed before her. The video feed seemed to flicker as it zoomed in to get a closer look at the leader of the operation, the Queen Bee.

When the girl in the pink dress turned around, it was revealed to be...

Hana suddenly realized all eyes were on her. She was frozen in place, her blue eyes wide in shock. She was trembling. She hadn't realized she had an iron grip on her tell-tale pink dress. The students in Ouran looked towards each other.

That's when the whispering and the pointing began.

_"Hana defaced the Host Club's property...!"_

_"Do you think that dress was for Kyouya?"_

_"No way! I thought they were best friends!"_

Hana looked around the room quickly, her hair whipping back and forth as she took in everyone's faces. They were all staring at her. They were all talking about her...!

"N-no," Hana began, and she shook her head wildly. On the large screen against the wall, Hana's face was frozen in a malicious smile. "Th-that's not...! This is a set-up!_ This is a set-up!"_

Tamaki was watching her calmly from where he stood, the two circled by the wealth of students all dressed in finery. He smiled towards Hana, but it was filled with disappointment.

"Kyouya was always so kind to you," Tamaki began, and beside him, Honey and Mori moved from out of the crowd. They paused beside the Prince as Tamaki continued. "I thought she was your friend."  
"Yeah..." Honey let out, and his big chocolate eyes looked up towards Hana, who glanced down at the small boy. "Why would you do something like that to Kyouya-chan?"

Hana's expression tightened. The pretty girl gazed towards Honey with a rather livid, twisted expression, before it mellowed out, letting out a trembling chuckle.

"So that's it," The girl stated. "I see what's going on here. I was right!" And Hana snapped her head towards Tamaki, her expression set into a heavy glower. "Kyouya has all of you _fooled!_ She's parading around here like she's the Queen of Ouran! She thinks she's better than us because she gets to hang around with all of you!"

"Kyouya-chan doesn't…" Honey began, but Hana cut him off.

"What makes _her_ so special?!" Hana shouted, and her voice carried over all of the students who stood, watching the scene before them unfold with wide eyes. "What makes her so _worthy_ of your attention, anyway?!

"_I'm_ the one who loves you, Tamaki-kun!

"_I'm_ the one who cares about you! Not that privileged, over-achieving _slut!"_

It was like clockwork. Having parted the crowd right behind Tamaki, Honey, and Mori, stood Hikaru and Kaoru to come and join the group.

Right behind them was Kyouya, looking straight at Hana with a cold expression on her face, ash-brown eyes fixed right on the girl whom she used to call her friend.

Hana froze.

Kyouya took a step forward, moving into the circle. Black heels clicked against the marble floor. Her long, flowing black-and-blue dress ghosted over the floor and around her ankles in a dark mist, and her shadow, her presence, loomed over Hana. The chandelier's light gleamed over the faint blue pattern that was hidden in a glistening sheen against the dark fabric. Kyouya's shoulders were bare, but against her chest was a beautiful blue rose tied by a delicate ribbon. Delicate hands were covered by elbow-length, solid black gloves.

"Kyouya," Tamaki called out, and he reached out his hand to her, touching her shoulder as she started past the blond. Kyouya glimpsed towards the golden-haired boy, Tamaki giving her a soulful gaze.

The dark-haired Ootori gave her friend a faint smile.

"It's okay," Kyouya replied. Tamaki's hand was resting on her shoulder. It was tense. …Was he worried? "…I'll handle this on my own."

Tamaki seemed hesitant. However, the handsome Prince lifted his hand, fingers sliding off of Kyouya's slender shoulder.

Kyouya went forward.

Her silver-rimmed glasses gave a faint gleam as she paused in the circle, staring down Hana. The two stood in the center of the circle, caged by their fellow students.

"So it was you." Kyouya's tone was even, each word deliberate. "…All along.

"How long, Hana, have you hated me?"

Hana's glacier gaze was focused back towards the other girl that stood before her. She was outed now; there was no turning back.

"I _never_ liked you," Hana snapped at her, and Kyouya's gaze remained cold as the girl continued, stamping about in her pink dress. "You're_ empty!_ So what if you think you're so hot?! Who cares if you make top grades in class?!_ No one! _You're just a girl! You're worth _nothing!_

"So why does Tamaki-kun look at you and not at me?!" Hana was screaming now, and her voice was the only one that rang true throughout the entire school. "You have no personality! No feelings!"

And Hana spun away from Kyouya, a flutter of brilliant pinks and glitter. Her hands snatched a teacup right off the table beside her, eliciting several gasps from the Host Club's guests as she lifted it above her head, screeching.

"_**You'd be better off dead!"**_

Hana flung the teacup at Kyouya with no hesitation.

"Kyouya!" Tamaki shouted, but even as he moved forward, it was too little too late. Kyouya threw her arms up to protect herself.

Mori's arm blocked the cup, a heavy _thunk_ bouncing off the walls of the ballroom. It ricocheted off of his forearm, spinning wildly into the air where it shattered on the ground beside a few guests, gasps shooting into the air as the bone china scattered across the marble floor. Dark tea spilled on the marble, rushing past several pairs of heels.

The scent of Lady Grey filled the air.

"Kyouya!" Tamaki trotted over to her, just as Kyouya lowered her hands, ash-grey eyes turning to gaze at the teacup with a strange look. "Kyouya, are you all right?!"

"Takeshi!" Honey called out, going towards Mori. The tall, dark-haired man was rubbing at his arm where the cup hit.

Both Hikaru and Kaoru looked towards Hana.

"_Now you've done it,"_ They both chimed in unison.

Around Hana, several students started talking again. The girl looked around as the whispers rose into the air.

"_She tried to kill Ootori-chan!"_

"_What a freak…!"_

"_Should we call the police?"_

"No…" Hana let out, and she stepped back, almost bumping to a few people. "…No! NO! This isn't how it was supposed to go! This isn't fair!"

"If you're smart," Hikaru let out, putting his hands on his hips.

"You'd leave, pretty quick." Kaoru finished. "You know."

"If you want to save yourself." Hikaru finished, a slow, sinister grin creeping up on his face.

Hana shook her head in disbelief, fear welling itself up into her eyes. She looked towards Tamaki, who was now looking towards her, a hand still on Kyouya's shoulder. "T-Tamaki-kun…"

There was a pause. The handsome Prince of Ouran smiled towards Hana, and he moved away from Kyouya's side, walking over to the young woman dressed like a princess. When he arrived in front of her, Tamaki put a hand to his chest, right over his heart.

"I'm sorry," He began, tone gentle. "…But I don't see you in the same way. I thank you, though, for caring that much about me, but…"

And Tamaki took a step back. He gestured his hand towards the Host Club. "…But my friends' safety and well-being isn't something that can be compromised for the sake of love. It's something… that will always have to go hand-in-hand. I suppose… not everyone can think the same."

Hana was silent, her expression stricken. She looked frazzled, bewildered; tears stung at her eyes and her face was red in a mixture of rage and embarrassment. Her whole body was trembling wildly.

"Hana." And Kyouya spoke from the back, behind the boys. "...You're done.

"You're through here."

Hana made a noise in the back of her throat, coming akin to a gasp. She shook, before turning away, pushing violently past the crowd to get out of the ballroom. "I hate you! I hate everybody!

"I hate you, Kyouya Ootori!"

She was swallowed in the crowd, disappearing. Her friends had already made their own escapes during Hana's five minutes of fame. Honey was holding Mori's arm, patting it to make sure he was okay. The twins stuck their tongues out after Hana.

Tamaki paused. He glanced to Kyouya, who was staring after Hana. The blond prince cleared his throat, gathering everyone's attention.

"...Everyone!" Tamaki called out, and the guests turned towards him, and the Prince gave them his brightest smile. "The Host Club apologizes for the delay. But I think this is a great time to start the dancing!" He clapped his hands, and the live orchestra kicked into action. A swell of strings soared into the air, cutting through the tension like a knife. The students began to loosen up, speaking to one another. Laughter rang into the air, and friends alike began to partner up.

The Host Club moved off to the side. Hikaru and Kaoru broke off from the group, going to mingle with the guests, while Honey and Mori headed off to take a better look at his arm.

Tamaki watched as the guests became settled, going to back to the party. So, things could be saved after all. The blond turned around to speak to Kyouya-

...But she was already gone.

* * *

_Lady Grey._

* * *

The party was starting to die down. Several of them were leaving, and the Host Club could claim the party as a huge success, despite the incident that had happened with Hana.

Tamaki had managed to break away from a few girls heading out that wished him a good night. The blond headed quickly across the ballroom, making sure to look busy so no one would stop him. Well, he _was_ busy. It wasn't a complete lie.

Kyouya had made herself scarce for the rest of the party, but Tamaki had become swamped by his guests that he was unable to check up on her. Now that things had died down, it was the prefect time for find her.

The young Suoh made his way around the ballroom, being sure to check every nook and cranny—that was how he found her. Hidden, off on the balcony area of the ballroom, stood Kyouya Ootori. The short-haired maiden was leaning idly against the balcony on her elbows, looking out towards the night sky with a hard, thoughtful expression on her face. She was always so serious.

Tamaki paused by the glass doorway. The orchestra could still he heard, even out here. Below the balcony, several expensive cars and limousines were parked, awaiting their passengers, bright headlights piercing through the dark night. Tamaki watched Kyouya for a moment, before clearing his throat.

"The stars are really lovely tonight, aren't they?" Tamaki inquired conversationally, his own gaze looking up towards the twinkling buds of light. Kyouya didn't move as he continued, "Tonight was a great success for the Host Club, though this party wouldn't have been possible without our calculative manager!"

Kyouya didn't respond. Tamaki drew silent for a moment, waiting to see if his friend answered, but nothing came. A gentle breeze ruffled her long dress... but that was the only movement that came from the young woman.

So he kept talking.

"It's a shame that you designed such a lavish party, but didn't partake in any of it yourself." He was trying to draw her out of whatever shell Kyouya had curled herself into. While she was the quieter of the two, he had never seen her like _this._ What in the world could she have been thinking about, inside that brilliant head of hers?

It worried him.

"...You look very nice, in that dress," Tamaki finally commented. Women liked to be complimented, right? It got Kyouya to finally look towards him, though. Her expression, while solid, seemed distant. But Tamaki wasn't deterred.

He held out his hand to her. Behind him, the glittering lights of the chandelier cast over Tamaki's golden hair. In his white suit, he looked the very part of the Prince Charming that every girl was coming to see.

"Would you care to dance, Princess?"

Kyouya glimpsed towards Tamaki's outstretched hand. Tamaki was silent, waiting patiently... and he was rewarded for his efforts.

Kyouya took his hand. She stepped into Tamaki, and the blond's smile remained on his face as he rested his other hand on Kyouya's slender waist. He waited a moment, catching the beat of the live music that was still playing, before starting on the waltz. It was a simple dance, yes, but...

With he and Kyouya dancing, it was far more beautiful than anyone could hope to imagine.

The two moved with one another, a King of all that was good and light, and a Queen that ruled over the shadows that light created. Kyouya's dress fluttered around her ankles as the two moved gracefully over the stone balcony. Royal-blue and ash-brown orbs were locked on one another.

It was all right, if it was silent. Halfway through the dance, Tamaki couldn't help but pick Kyouya up by the waist, giving her one small twirl in the air. A bewildered look shot on Kyouya's face as her feet left the ground, but in the end, it melted into a small smile.

She would all soon forget about the heavy scent of Lady Grey that lingered in the air that night.

Right now, it was all about Tamaki's smile.

* * *

That's it for this chapter. For** those who leave a signed review** (and ask for it), you'll be able to see some colored art for Kyouya in the final gown the twins picked! Also, be prepared for the _next chapter, _where finally, _Haruhi makes her appearance!_

**Please Review!**


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